WALES

NHS Waiting Lists

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales about NHS waiting lists in Wales.

Peter Hain: I regularly meet the Assembly First Minister and the health service in Wales is one of the topics that we frequently discuss.

Older People

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps the Government plans to take to improve the quality of life of older people in Wales.

Nick Ainger: The Government is taking a number of steps to improve the quality of life of older people in Wales.
	I am proud that this month the Commissioner for Older People (Wales) Bill was introduced into the other place, and received its Second Reading on 14 June.

Child Care

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales Government on the effects of tax credits on the take-up of childcare in Wales.

Nick Ainger: I regularly meet with Ministers from the Welsh Assembly Government to discuss a range of issues, including the effects of tax credits on the take-up of childcare in Wales.

Hospitals

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has met the National Assembly for Wales Minister for Health to discuss the provision of new hospitals in Wales.

Peter Hain: I have regular meetings with the Assembly First Minister and we regularly discuss health matters.
	Over the last year, 12 new major hospital development schemes have begun in Wales. These include the building of a number of new hospitals and the renovation and modernisation of a significant proportion of existing hospitals.

Digital Signals

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on measures to improve digital signals in the South Wales valley communities.

Peter Hain: Current levels of digital terrestrial coverage are not indicative of the situation post-switchover. Coverage is, at present, limited to only nine of the 200 transmitters in Wales to prevent interference being caused to viewers of analogue television services. At the time of switchover, these restrictions can be removed and the power and coverage of digital services will increase to match that currently achieved by analogue. Planning for switchover is making provision for all of the existing transmitters to broadcast digital services.
	We are committed to achieving digital switchover between 2008 and 2012 ensuring universal access to high quality digital television through a mix of terrestrial, cable and satellite services. This will happen region by region, and we will make sure that the interests of elderly people and other vulnerable groups are protected.

Laptop Computers

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many laptop computers have been used by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each year since 1995; how many have been (i) lost and (ii) stolen in that period; what the cost was of the use of laptops in that period; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office was established July 1999, and during this time there have been no losses or thefts of laptops. The Wales Office is currently issued with two laptops, one allocated to the Minister and an official. The laptops are provided to the Wales Office under the DCA PFI Contract since April 2004 at an annual cost of 4,055.

Railways

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Network Rail on the inclusion of Newport as a through destination on the planned Cardiff to Ebbw Vale passenger railway.

Peter Hain: The Ebbw Vale railway project is being delivered in two phases. Phase 1 comprises an hourly service from Ebbw Vale to Cardiff starting in 2007; phase 2 will be an hourly service from Ebbw Vale to Newport.
	I understand that the Newport service cannot begin before 2009 because of the need for major re-signalling works in the Newport area by Network Rail.

Railways

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has made to the Strategic Rail Authority on improving the main line passenger service from London to South Wales.

Peter Hain: The Strategic Rail Authority has recently invited detailed bids for the Greater Western Franchise. One of the authority's objectives is to improve operational performance and sustain a level of service quality consistent with meeting customer needs. The authority has also launched a public consultation on the specification for the franchise. Where appropriate, revised instructions can be given to bidders in the light of consultees' responses.

Smoking

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on legislation relating to smoking and its impact in Wales.

Nick Ainger: My right hon. Friend has had regular discussions over the last few months with the Secretary of State for Health on this matter.
	Earlier this week the Government published consultation on proposals for introducing smoke free environments in England and Wales.

South Wales Valleys

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the regenerative potential for towns in the South Wales valleys of a scheme similar to the Market Towns Initiative.

Peter Hain: Regenerating the South Wales valleys is a major priority for this Government. We secured Objective 1 funding for West Wales and the valleys, and this successful programme is having a huge impact on towns and communities across the valleys. In the South Wales valleys, 154.9 million of Objective 1 grant has been committed to 313 local projects, representing more than 308 million of total project investment.
	As part of its sustainable communities agenda, the Assembly also runs the Communities First programme, which is a comprehensive approach to area-based regeneration. The programme applies to many of the most deprived areas in the South Wales valleys. It was launched on 31 March 2000 and has a budget of 150 million until 2006.
	CADW also operate the Townscape Heritage Initiative scheme, which is a Heritage Lottery Fund run scheme aimed to promote urban regeneration but biased towards heritage conservation by improving town centres, through the restoration of historic architecture.
	There are currently 14 Townscape Heritage Initiatives ongoing around Wales, with a further two proposed in South Wales valleys areas (Maesteg in Bridgend and Rhymney in Caerphilly).
	In addition, the Assembly operate a range of measures to assist rural towns, for example the 1.8 million a year Rural Community Action programme which covers nine local authority areas and is benefiting rural towns in places such as Flintshire, Wrexham and the Vale of Glamorgan. Over 100 projects are also being supported under a 8.7 million programme in rural areas to support basic services, renovation of villages and supporting local tourism and craft sectors. A Rural Retail Scheme is also in operation designed to help encourage the retention of retail facilities in rural areas.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Construction (Litchfield)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will meet the directors of Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust Limited to discuss the route that the restored canal will take with respect to Planning Policy Guidance 13, and its progress to date.

Yvette Cooper: This is a local issue for Staffordshire county council, Lichfield district council and the Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust. Outline Planning Permission for the development including the Lichfield Southern Bypass has already been granted by Lichfield district council and a legal agreement entered into with the developers. It is therefore inappropriate for my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and other Ministers to enter into discussion about these matters.

Crematoria

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance the Government issues to local authorities relating to (a) crematoria and (b) the display of religious symbols in crematoria.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply
	Regulations relating to the cremation of bodies are made under the Cremation Act 1902. Guidance on these regulations is issued from time to time as the need arises. No guidance has been issued on the display of religious symbols in crematoria and there are no plans to do so.

Environmental Services (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent by each London borough per 1,000 population on environmental services in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Table 1 lists the net current expenditure for environmental services as reported to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in Revenue Outturn (RO) returns for 200304-RO5 data (line 290).
	
		Table 1: Net current expenditure on environmental services in 200304 for each London borough
		
			  Total environmental services (000) 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 8,295 
			 Barnet 15,332 
			 Bexley 17,239 
			 Brent 17,791 
			 Bromley 21,085 
			 Camden 19,293 
			 City of London 15,862 
			 Croydon 24,146 
			 Ealing 17,319 
			 Enfield 16,612 
			 Greater London Authority 611 
			 Greenwich 17,814 
			 Hackney 24,206 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,322 
			 Haringey 13,077 
			 Harrow 12,264 
			 Havering 6,759 
			 Hillingdon 9,564 
			 Hounslow 10,111 
			 Islington 16,312 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 13,637 
			 Kingston upon Thames 9,077 
			 Lambeth 15,816 
			 Lewisham 20,591 
			 Merton 12,739 
			 Newham 22,403 
			 Redbridge 11,006 
			 Richmond upon Thames 8,113 
			 Southwark 23,761 
			 Sutton 14,417 
			 Tower Hamlets 20,961 
			 Waltham Forest 14,299 
			 Wandsworth 15,549 
			 Westminster 38,999

House Demolition

Charles Walker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many houses in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Merseyside are scheduled to be demolished in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Demolition is a matter for individual local authorities in the light of local circumstances.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated typical (a) number of rooms and (b) floor space is for a property provided by his Department's 60,000 home scheme.

Yvette Cooper: The 60,000 target specified in the Design for Manufacture competition relates to the construction of a two bedroom home with a minimum gross internal floor area of 76.5m 2 .

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the properties provided by the 60,000 home scheme will be sold as (a) leasehold, (b) commonhold and (c) freehold properties.

Yvette Cooper: It is expected that a range of homes with a variety of tenures will be built under the Design for Manufacture competition, and that about 30 per cent. of all of the homes will be made available under the terms of the First Time Buyers initiative. The precise mix of housing types and tenures on each site will depend on local circumstances.

Housing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will publish the consultation document on a revised means of determining overcrowding.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is considering the future of the statutory overcrowding standards and plans to publish a consultation paper in the near future.

Housing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the 15 local councils and 100 wards with the highest proportion of overcrowded housing, indicating in each case (a) the proportion living in each category of property and (b) the proportion of all households living in overcrowded accommodation.

Yvette Cooper: The 15 local councils with the highest proportion of accommodation which fails the bedroom standard and the wards within these councils are listed in a table to be placed in the Library of the House. Against each council and each ward is the estimated proportion of households within that council/ward that are affected.
	The 100 wards with the highest levels of overcrowding across the country have not been determined.
	A breakdown of the proportion of overcrowded households by property type is not available.

Housing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's policy is regarding whether living rooms should be used as sleeping accommodation for permanent members of a household; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister recognises that the statutory overcrowding standards in Part 10 of the Housing Act 1985 can be construed as permitting the use of living rooms as sleeping accommodation, although most local authorities apply higher standards. The Part 10 standards are widely recognised as out of line with modern expectations, and we intend to publish a consultation paper on the future of these standards in the near future.

Local Tax Take

John Hemming: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the target increase in local tax take from Government was in each year since the creation of the council tax; and what the actual increase in local tax take as implemented by local authorities was.

Phil Woolas: The Government do not set a target increase in the amount which local authorities can raise from council tax, which is dependent on councils' spending decisions.
	Tabled are figures for the amounts of council tax received by local authorities in each financial year for which figures are available since the introduction of the council tax on 1 April 1993.
	The table also expresses these amounts as cash and percentage increases over the corresponding figures for the previous year.
	
		
			   Increase over previous year 
			  Council tax received during the year(1) ( million)  million Percentage 
		
		
			 199394 6,807   
			 199495 7,546 739 10.9 
			 199596 8,151 605 8.0 
			 199697 8,799 648 7.9 
			 199798 9,570 771 8.8 
			 199899 10,579 1,009 10.5 
			 19992000 11,457 878 8.3 
			 200001 12,242 785 6.9 
			 200102 13,208 966 7.9 
			 200203 14,510 1,302 9.9 
			 200304 16,392 1,882 13.0 
		
	
	(1) Regardless of the financial year to which the amounts relate; excludes amounts paid through council tax benefit.
	Source:
	QRC4 returns to ODPM

New Build Homebuy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated sale price will be of a typical property provided by New Build Homebuy.

Yvette Cooper: Proposals for New Build Homebuy are set out in our consultation paperHomebuyexpanding the opportunity to own (April 2005). The consultation period closes on 24 June.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have made no estimates of the sale price of a New Build Homebuy properties. This will vary depending on a number of factors including the prevailing market prices in the relevant location and the proportion being purchased.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many and what percentage of staff in his Office have received training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) grade.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To date, 107 people (5.1 per cent. of ODPM staff) have had training on the specific duties relating to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. In addition, induction training ensures that all new staff are made aware of the Office's responsibilities under the Act. Although the Office is able to produce staff breakdowns by grade and ethnicity, this data is currently unavailable in respect of specific training courses.
	The Office's Race Equality Scheme, which sets out how it will meet its general and specific duties under the Act over the period 2005 to 2008, was published in draft on 31 May 2005, and is currently out to consultation.

Regional Assemblies

Robert Wilson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the running costs of the South East of England Regional Assembly have been in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) and the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Browne) on 17 March 2005, Official Report, column 368W.

Regional Fire Control Centres

Michael Fallon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the sites short listed for the proposed regional fire control centres.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 41011W, to the hon. Member for North Thanet (Mr. Gale).

Right to Buy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans the Government have to increase Right to Buy discount ceilings in line with house price inflation.

Yvette Cooper: There are no current plans to increase the discounts available under the Right to Buy scheme to tenants who wish to purchase 100 per cent. of the home they live in. However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is consulting on a number of options for tenants who wish to purchase a share of their homes under Social Homebuy.

Torquay Crematorium Chapel

Anthony Steen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance Torbay Unitary Authority sought from his Office in relation to (a) changing the name of Torquay Crematorium Chapel and (b) decreasing the size of the cross inside the ceremonial hall.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	Torbay Unitary Authority has not sought any advice from my Department in relation to changing the name of Torquay Crematorium Chapel and decreasing the size of the cross inside the ceremonial hall.

TRANSPORT

A303 (Stonehenge)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated total cost is of the tunnelled section of the A303 in Wiltshire near Stonehenge.

Stephen Ladyman: The approved budget for the A303 Stonehenge Improvement is 223 million, which includes an estimated 100 million for the costs of the bored tunnel section. These figures are currently being reviewed by Highways Agency following further site investigations, and some further increase in costs is now anticipated. Details of the revised cost will be announced alongside our decision on the Inspector's Report following the public inquiry into the Stonehenge Improvement scheme.

Air Safety

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) collisions and (b) near-misses of aircraft above London there were in each of the last five years.

Karen Buck: An airprox is a situation in which, in the opinion of a pilot or a controller, the distance between aircraft as well as their relative positions and speed have been such that the safety of the aircraft involved was or may have been compromised.
	Over the period of 2000 to 2004 there have been 23 airprox in controlled airspace over London. These can be broken down on an annual basis as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000 4 
			 2001 2 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 6 
			 2004 7 
		
	
	These are statistically insignificant numbers which should not be used to derive any trends, especially considering the volumes of air traffic which have increased over the period. The UK Airprox Board assessed that there was no risk of a collision in any of the subject airprox. There have been no mid-air collisions.

Concessionary Fares

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the distribution formula is for the half fare concession to the over 60s; and how much has been paid by the Government to each local authority or transport authority in each of the last five years.

Karen Buck: There is currently no specific distribution formula for concessionary fares; they are one of a wide-range of services covered in the district-level Environmental Protection and Cultural Services Block of the Revenue Support Grant (RSG) system. It is therefore not possible to work out how much grant an authority has received with respect to concessionary fares.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether capacity offered by Crossrail on the Shenfield branch will meet the change in demand expected as a result of plans for homebuilding in the South East.

Derek Twigg: It is estimated that Crossrail will provide a 40 per cent. increase in capacity of the local services between Shenfield and Liverpool Street with the service pattern currently proposed. That additional capacity will help to meet increases in demand for transport along the branch. In addition, by releasing platform capacity at Liverpool Street, Crossrail would improve the potential for expansion of services from the Lea Valley.

Disability Discrimination Act

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued to the aviation industry on the application to it of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement.

Karen Buck: In common with other transport infrastructure such as stations and ports, airports are covered by Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) which covers access to goods, facilities and services. The Disability Rights Commission has produced a code of practice for service providers on meeting the Part 3 duties.
	There is currently an exemption in Part 3 for
	any service insofar as it consists of the use of any means of transport
	which means that the element of the service involving air travel is not covered. We have, however, amended that exemption under Section 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 to make clear that it applies only to services involving the provision and use of a vehicle (including an aircraft) and to allow for it to be lifted to different extents, for different services at different times.
	We have said that we would use the new power in respect of air services if the voluntary code of practice which we issued in March 2003 proves to be ineffective. That code, Access to Air Travel for Disabled PeopleCode of Practice, was developed in close co-operation with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (the Government's statutory advisers on transport and mobility for disabled people) and industry representatives. It draws on internationally agreed best practice from the European Civil Aviation Conference and the International Civil Aviation Organisation and includes specific advice on all aspects of air travel, from accessing information through to on board services and disembarkation at the final destination.
	Research is currently under way to monitor the sector's compliance with the code's recommendations. The study is due to report around the end of this year and will inform our decision on whether to use the provisions in the 2005 Act to bring air services within the scope of Part 3.

Eurotunnel

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with (a) Eurotunnel (i) staff and (ii) creditors and (b) other Government Departments in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Derek Twigg: Officials at the Department for Transport have periodic discussions with a wide range of industry parties, other stakeholders and counterparts in other Government Departments in relation to the Department's strategic interest in cross-channel rail services. The Department also has regular contact with Eurotunnel management on issues relating to the day-to-day operation of the channel tunnel, through its representation on the Anglo-French Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission.

Free Fare Scheme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who will meet the costs of the Free Fare scheme; what assessment has been made of the likely cost; whether the scheme will include free local bus travel for (a) people over 60 years and (b) people with disabilities; and when he expects further information on the operation of the scheme to be published.

Karen Buck: Free off-peak concessionary travel will be introduced in England for those 60 and over and disabled people on their local bus services from April 2006. The Government will provide an extra 350 million in 200607 which will be sufficient to fund the cost. Final decisions on the distribution of the extra fundingwhich will be done through the Revenue Support Grant processhave not been made.

Hampshire Light Rapid Transit Scheme

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his timetable is for determining the submission for the Hampshire Light Rapid Transit Scheme.

Derek Twigg: We will make a decision soon.

London to Brighton Line

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Route Utilisation Strategy for the London to Brighton main line.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 June 2005
	A Route Utilisation Strategy for the Brighton main line will be published in due course.

M11 Link Road

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will arrange for electronic signs on roads leading to those joining the M11 Link Road in (a) Wanstead, (b) Leytonstone and (c) Leyton telling motorists when the Link Road is seriously congested; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The M11 Link Road is now classified as the A12. The section of the A12 inside London now forms part of the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN). Therefore, any works, including signing on that road, or roads in the vicinity are a matter for the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL).

Rail Transport (Motorisation)

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on trials of alternative forms of motorisation for rail transport.

Derek Twigg: A number of private companies and individuals are working in this area but I am not aware of any such research being either carried out or funded directly by Government.

Road Safety

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to give local authorities the power to erect 30 mph repeater signs on roads with high traffic accident rates.

Stephen Ladyman: The provision of repeater signs on only 30 mph roads with high traffic accident rates is likely to create uncertainty for drivers as to whether some roads are 30 mph or not. The absence of 30 mph repeaters on other 30 mph roads, may indicate to drivers that the speed limit is in fact higher, which is likely to increase accident risk.
	Under current legislation the presence of street lighting indicates a road is subject to a 30 mph speed limit, unless signs indicate otherwise. This provides a consistent and easily understood approach. It has been law for over 70 years and is contained in the Highway Code, which all drivers study as part of learning to drive.

Sussex Coast Rail Lines

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at what percentage of maximum power the power supply on the Sussex Coast rail lines will allow the new rolling stock to operate.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 June 2005
	The power supply on Sussex Coast lines is sufficient for new rolling stock to run at full power where trains are formed of up to six coaches. Longer trains are restricted to less than full power but this is sufficient for them to maintain schedules.

Tyne Tunnel

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for the time taken for the (a) assessment and (b) approval of the Second Tyne Tunnel; and whether changes in the proposal made by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority have had an impact on the time scale.

Stephen Ladyman: Following a public inquiry into the proposed new Tyne crossing the Tyne and Wear PTA have, on several occasions since the close of the inquiry, requested substantial changes to the powers they require to implement the scheme. This is unusual, as normally applicants and their legal advisers have established the powers they require before the inquiry opens. It has caused significant cumulative delays to the Department's assessment of the proposals as we have had to consider carefully the consequences of all the requested changes. We also had to give other interested parties the opportunity to comment on the changes, in the interests of natural justice. On the basis of the information we now have available, we hope to announce a decision shortly.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Nuclear Waste

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what volume of (a) low level, (b) intermediate level and (c) high level nuclear waste has become unaccounted for in each of the last five years; and what percentage has been located.

Elliot Morley: The Department is not aware of any radioactive waste that is unaccounted for. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and United Kingdom Nirex Ltd. undertake regular reviews and updates of the stocks and predicted arisings of radioactive waste in the UK. The last published version of the UK Radioactive Waste Inventory as at 1 April 2001 reported stocks of waste as 1,960m 3 HLW, 75,400m 3 ILW and 14,700m 3 LLW and predicted future arisings of 750m 3 HLW, 163,000m 3 ILW and 1,490,000m 3 LLW. An updated version of this inventory giving the stocks and predicted future arisings at 1 April 2004 is currently being prepared and will be published later this year.

Nuclear Waste

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many new nuclear waste storage facilities she expects to be built in each of the next 10 years; and where.

Elliot Morley: It is for the owners of radioactive waste to make suitable arrangements for the management of their waste, including the provision of any stores, subject to securing the necessary regulatory and planning approvals.

Nuclear Waste

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list sites in the West Midlands where nuclear waste is stored.

Elliot Morley: The following sites are identified by the UK Radioactive Waste Inventory as storing quantities of radioactive waste:
	Donnington
	Stafford.

Sewer Rats (London)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress of the review of the London Sewer Rat Joint Working Protocol; and what she expects the outcome to be.

Elliot Morley: The Local Government Association (LGA) and Water UK published a joint protocol in 1999 which set out arrangements for a closer working relationship between local authorities and water companies in England and Wales on the issue of rat infestation of sewers.
	The Department sought the views of all local authority chief executives in England and Wales on the effectiveness of the protocol, but the level of response was disappointing (77 responses were received) and we are unable to draw any clear conclusions from the information provided.

Snaring

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) reports have been received on, (b) prosecutions have been brought and (c) convictions have been secured for (i) the setting of an illegal snare, (ii) killing through snaring and (iii) taking a protected species through snaring in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: There is no specific data available for prosecutions on the illegal use of snares. The only figures available relate to the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Protection of Animals Act 1911, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 S.11, Deer Acts 1991 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, England and Wales 1993 to 2003. This data can be found through the following link: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/commandpubs1.html

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Phthalates

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will bring forward legislation to compel manufacturers to reveal which of their products contain phthalates and in what concentrations.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We have no current plans to bring forward such legislation.

Pirate Radio

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people were prosecuted for operating pirate radio stations in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom) as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Property Misdescriptions Act

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many successful prosecutions there have been by trading standards officers under the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The numbers of successful prosecutions by trading standards officers in each of the last five years under the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 As at January to December:  
			 2004 18 
			 2003 18 
			 2002 17 
			 2001 26 
			 2000 20

Renewables

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his Department's latest estimate is of the annual rise of carbon dioxide emissions (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) globally.

Elliot Morley: I have been asked to reply.
	Greenhouse gas inventory estimates published by the Department in March show that carbon dioxide emissions from the United Kingdom decreased by 3 per cent. between 2001 and 2002. Emissions then rose by 2.2 per cent. between 2002 and 2003, and by a further 1.5 per cent. between 2003 and 2004. The 2003 to 2004 estimate is provisional.
	The most recent estimates published by the International Energy Agency show that world emissions of carbon dioxide increased by about 2 per cent. between 2001 and 2002. Energy statistics published in the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2005 suggest that world emissions have risen faster since 2002, but the detailed analysis needed to quantify percentage changes is in CO 2 is not yet available.

Travel Industry (Regulation)

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has held with (a) the Association of British Travel Agents, (b) the Federation of Tour Operators and (c) the Association of Independent Tour Operators regarding the regulatory burden in the travel industry.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Central Ayrshire (Mr. Donohoe) on 8 June 2005, Official Report, columns 57576W.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Apprenticeships

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress was made towards the public service agreement target for apprenticeship starts in 2004/05; and what assessment she has made of whether the target will be met.

Phil Hope: The Department has a PSA target for at least 28 per cent. of young people to start an Apprenticeship for the first time by age 22 by 2004. Measurement of the target will be based on starts in the 2004/05 academic year. At the end of 2003/04, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) met its milestone of 24.5 per cent. However, since then, starts have fallen behind profile. The LSC have therefore put in place a range of measures to address this shortfall although it is too early to assess their impact. The target outturn will be reported by December 2005.

Bullying (Portsmouth)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what data she has collected on bullying in state schools in Portsmouth.

Jacqui Smith: Data on bullying are not collected centrally and there is no reliable basis for an estimate of prevalence. Bullying cases appear to be reported more often, now than previously but we have no hard evidence that bullying is increasing or that it is affecting more children. Indeed, as children and young people increasingly feel safe at school to report bullying, and confident that it will be tackled effectively and sensitively, it is likely reporting will rise.
	However, any level of bullying is too high and we are determined to help schools tackle the problem. Our guidance pack 'Bullying: Don't Suffer in Silence', the anti-bullying charter and the anti-bullying website www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying offer detailed advice on preventing and addressing bullying. We also offer specific advice to schools on tackling homophobic bullying and are developing advice on racist bullying.

City Academies

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total amount of capital costs contributed by sponsors was to each city academy; and what proportion of the total capital costs this represents in each case.

Jacqui Smith: The sponsorship contribution for each of the 17 open Academies is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Academy Sponsorship contribution ( million) Sponsorship as a proportion of  capital costs (%) 
		
		
			 Capital City Academy 3 12.8 
			 City of London (Southwark) Academy 2.1 7.2 
			 Djanogly City Academy Nottingham 0 0.0 
			 Greig City Academy 2 15.4 
			 Lambeth Academy 2 8.2 
			 London Academy 1.5 5.2 
			 Manchester Academy 2 10.1 
			 Mossbourne Community Academy 2 7.1 
			 Northampton Academy 2 7.4 
			 Stockley Academy 2 9.5 
			 The Academy at Peckham 2 9.1 
			 The Business Academy Bexley 2.41 7.7 
			 The City Academy, Bristol 2 7.2 
			 The King's Academy 2 9.4 
			 The Walsall City Academy 2.5 13.9 
			 The West London Academy 2 5.4 
			 Unity City Academy 2 9.7

City Academies

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of pupils in each city academy are resident (a) in the ward in which the school is situated, (b) in neighbouring wards, (c) elsewhere within the local authority area and (d) outside that local authority.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been provide in the following table.
	
		Resident location of pupils attending academiesJanuary 2005 -- Percentage
		
			  
			 School name Resident in ward Resident in neighbouring wards(2) Resident within LEA Resident outside LEA Total pupils 
		
		
			 Mossbourne Community Academy 15.1 47.7 95.4 4.6 218 
			 Lambeth Academy 28.3 59.2 93.5 6.5 184 
			 City of London Academy (Southwark) 33.5 42.9 92.0 8.0 361 
			 The Academy at Peckham 9.3 56.0 89.2 10.8 1,079 
			 London Academy 17.2 52.0 87.3 12.7 1,199 
			 The Business Academy Bexley 32.8 51.9 72.2 27.8 1,379 
			 Capital City Academy 7.6 39.6 85.4 14.6 911 
			 West London Academy 45.6 24.7 87.2 12.8 1,129 
			 Greig City Academy, Haringey 5.3 14.7 75.0 25.0 712 
			 Stockley Academy 39.7 34.8 98.3 1.7 584 
			 Walsall Academy 29.2 29.2 80.6 19.4 630 
			 Manchester Academy 35.4 29.9 94.5 5.5 726 
			 The City Academy Bristol 30.1 45.3 96.1 3.9 1,096 
			 Unity City Academy 26.6 69.5 98.5 1.5 1,123 
			 The King's Academy 37.1 24.3 96.1 3.9 1,042 
			 Djanogly City Academy Nottingham 33.5 22.3 95.6 4.4 1,580 
			 Northampton Academy 24.7 68.9 99.8 0.2 1,247 
		
	
	(2) The neighbouring ward is a ward that shares a boundary with the ward where the academy is situated
	Source:
	PLASC 2005 provisional data

Civil Servants

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what procedures civil servants in her Department follow when deciding on her Department's association with businesses and commercial organisations; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Civil servants in my Department follow the procurement principles set out in Government Accounting and the procurement guidance issued by the Office of Government Commerce which is transposed into departmental policy and guidance. In their professional and personal dealings with commercial organisations my officials adhere to the civil service code in all matters and the Cabinet Office's Guidance to Departments on Sponsorship of Government Activities when dealing with sponsorship issues.
	My Department also has its own partnership principles which are used for those associations with commercial organisations where we require a closer relationship.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr. Sanders) of 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 33639W, on grants per pupil, what the figures are for 200506.

Jacqui Smith: The following table gives our most recent figures, for local education authorities in England in 200506, for the total funding per primary pupil (aged 310) and per secondary pupil (aged 1115) in cash terms. These funding figures include funding through Education Formula Spending and grants allocated at an LEA level; they include the pensions transfer to EFS.
	
		200506: Total funding per pupil aged 310 and 1115LEAsby Government Office Region -- 
		
			 LEA number LEA name Pupils aged 310 Pupils aged 1115 
		
		
			  England 3,840 4,700 
			 
			  North East 3,830 4,750 
			 841 Darlington 3,720 4,550 
			 840 Durham 3,770 4,630 
			 390 Gateshead 3,830 4,820 
			 805 Hartlepool 3,920 4,880 
			 806 Middlesbrough 4,230 5,710 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 4,010 4,970 
			 392 North Tyneside 3,630 4,630 
			 929 Northumberland 3,650 4,530 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 3,850 4,730 
			 393 South Tyneside 3,960 4,830 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 3,780 4,710 
			 394 Sunderland 3,820 4,750 
			 
			  North West 3,780 4,650 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 4,170 5,070 
			 890 Blackpool 3,740 4,740 
			 350 Bolton 3,800 4,560 
			 351 Bury 3,600 4,420 
			 875 Cheshire 3,480 4,260 
			 909 Cumbria 3,690 4,440 
			 876 Halton 4,030 5,050 
			 340 Knowsley 4,220 5,320 
			 888 Lancashire 3,640 4,450 
			 341 Liverpool 4,150 5,190 
			 352 Manchester 4,400 5,560 
			 353 Oldham 3,970 4,820 
			 354 Rochdale 4,010 4,990 
			 355 Salford 3,990 5,010 
			 342 St. Helens 3,760 4,730 
			 343 Sefton 3,690 4,630 
			 356 Stockport 3,460 4,280 
			 357 Tameside 3,680 4,560 
			 358 Trafford 3,530 4,350 
			 877 Warrington 3,390 4,200 
			 359 Wigan 3,600 4,430 
			 344 Wirral 3,760 4,730 
			 
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 3,750 4,600 
			 370 Barnsley 3,750 4,680 
			 380 Bradford 4,020 4,970 
			 381 Calderdale 3,740 4,580 
			 371 Doncaster 3,830 4,730 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 3,510 4,220 
			 810 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 3,970 4,940 
			 382 Kirklees 3,820 4,690 
			 383 Leeds 3,710 4,630 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 3,760 4,670 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 3,720 4,550 
			 815 North Yorkshire 3,610 4,250 
			 372 Rotherham 3,760 4,610 
			 373 Sheffield 3,770 4,720 
			 384 Wakefield 3,670 4,470 
			 816 York 3,400 4,270 
			 
			  East Midlands 3,620 4,410 
			 831 Derby 3,770 4,630 
			 830 Derbyshire 3,520 4,280 
			 856 Leicester 4,150 4,950 
			 855 Leicestershire 3,330 4,060 
			 925 Lincolnshire 3,640 4,440 
			 928 Northamptonshire 3,570 4,390 
			 892 Nottingham 4,240 5,450 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 3,480 4,240 
			 857 Rutland 3,660 4,390 
			 
			  West Midlands 3,750 4,620 
			 330 Birmingham 4,200 5,260 
			 331 Coventry 3,900 4,760 
			 332 Dudley 3,560 4,440 
			 884 Herefordshire 3,780 4,500 
			 333 Sandwell 3,980 4,920 
			 893 Shropshire 3,640 4,370 
			 334 Solihull 3,480 4,270 
			 860 Staffordshire 3,400 4,180 
			 861 Stoke-on-Trent 3,890 4,900 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 3,700 4,560 
			 335 Walsall 3,800 4,620 
			 937 Warwickshire 3,520 4,310 
			 336 Wolverhampton 3,970 5,020 
			 885 Worcestershire 3,400 4,240 
			  East of England 3,670 4,510 
			 820 Bedfordshire 3,640 4,530 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 3,610 4,370 
			 881 Essex 3,690 4,550 
			 919 Hertfordshire 3,610 4,460 
			 821 Luton 4,120 5,140 
			 926 Norfolk 3,690 4,420 
			 874 Peterborough 3,910 4,820 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 3,770 4,720 
			 935 Suffolk 3,480 4,280 
			 883 Thurrock 3,900 4,950 
			 
			  London 4,690 5,720 
			 202 Camden 5,710 6,820 
			 203 Greenwich 5,200 6,460 
			 204 Hackney 5,900 7,670 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 5,550 6,780 
			 206 Islington 5,700 7,210 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 5,700 7,200 
			 208 Lambeth 5,700 7,600 
			 209 Lewisham 5,340 6,950 
			 210 Southwark 5,480 7,210 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 6,130 7,360 
			 212 Wandsworth 5,050 6,360 
			 213 Westminster 5,450 6,460 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 4,320 5,290 
			 302 Barnet 4,240 5,150 
			 303 Bexley 3,760 4,640 
			 304 Brent 4,830 6,050 
			 305 Bromley 3,780 4,710 
			 306 Croydon 4,080 5,220 
			 307 Ealing 4,670 5,840 
			 308 Enfield 4,280 5,190 
			 309 Haringey 4,980 6,290 
			 310 Harrow 4,220 5,140 
			 311 Havering 3,730 4,710 
			 312 Hillingdon 4,120 5,060 
			 313 Hounslow 4,550 5,470 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 3,890 4,790 
			 315 Merton 4,220 5,210 
			 316 Newham 4,960 5,980 
			 317 Redbridge 4,030 4,810 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 3,820 4,780 
			 319 Sutton 3,850 4,710 
			 320 Waltham Forest 4,540 5,680 
			 
			  South East 3,680 4,560 
			 867 Bracknell Forest 3,690 4,770 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 3,840 4,760 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 3,680 4,530 
			 845 East Sussex 3,750 4,630 
			 850 Hampshire 3,520 4,340 
			 921 Isle of Wight 3,780 4,690 
			 886 Kent 3,680 4,580 
			 887 Medway 3,580 4,460 
			 826 Milton Keynes 3,860 4,750 
			 931 Oxfordshire 3,690 4,500 
			 851 Portsmouth 3,800 4,780 
			 870 Reading 4,080 5,290 
			 871 Slough 4,410 5,510 
			 852 Southampton 3,930 4,860 
			 936 Surrey 3,660 4,520 
			 869 West Berkshire 3,770 4,560 
			 938 West Sussex 3,590 4,380 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 3,770 4,690 
			 872 Wokingham 3,610 4,490 
			 
			  South West 3,560 4,360 
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 3,440 4,210 
			 837 Bournemouth 3,470 4,280 
			 801 Bristol, City of 3,870 5,050 
			 908 Cornwall 3,650 4,370 
			 878 Devon 3,580 4,310 
			 835 Dorset 3,450 4,240 
			 916 Gloucestershire 3,500 4,280 
			 802 North Somerset 3,520 4,340 
			 879 Plymouth 3,580 4,470 
			 836 Poole 3,340 4,210 
			 933 Somerset 3,530 4,370 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 3,380 4,220 
			 866 Swindon 3,560 4,410 
			 880 Torbay 3,530 4,400 
			 865 Wiltshire 3,590 4,290 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Price Base: Cash terms.
	2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of the Education Formula Spending settlement and include the pensions transfer to EFS.
	3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 310 and 1115, and exclude education maintenance allowances and grants not allocated at LEA level. For those LEAs in receipt of advance of grant under the transitional support arrangements for 200405, advance grant funding was included in the year of payment (200405). There will be a consequential reduction in DfES grant for these LEAs in future years (either 200607 and 200708 or 200607 to 200809, depending on the terms on which the advance was given to the LEA).
	4. The pupil numbers used to convert m figures to per pupil are those underlying the EFS settlement calculations.
	5. Rounding: Per pupil figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	6. Status: 200506 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.

Entry to Employment Programme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what alternative education and training provision has been found for young people who are not yet ready to start an apprenticeship following the changes to the Entry to Employment programme; and what evaluation has been made of (a) the appropriateness of such provision and (b) its likelihood of offering meaningful progression to disadvantaged young people.

Jacqui Smith: Entry to Employment (E2E) is the main programme for young people not yet ready for an apprenticeship. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) guarantees all young people for whom E2E is appropriate, a place on the programme. This is in addition to their commitment that every 1618 year old can have a place in post-16 education and training. Changes introduced in 2004/05 were to improve the referral and learner review processes.
	Some young people are not in a position to be able to benefit from E2E. This may be, for example, because of emotional difficulties and serious substance abuse. These young people receive a range of specialised support and provision, particularly from the voluntary and community sector providers. This type of provision is not formally evaluated, however the aim is to enable them to progress onto E2E.
	The Qualifications Curriculum Authority and the LSC are working to establish an inclusive curriculum offer below level 2. It will draw from units and/or qualifications at entry level and level 1 of the Framework for Achievement and will also recognise and incorporate broader aspects. This is an important development to support, facilitate and direct learners into units and/or qualifications both below and beyond level 2, where E2E is not the best option.
	The local LSC network is working closely with the Connexions Service and the providers it contracts with, to ensure that it has appropriate programmes to enhance the range of choices to engage all young people. The Government announced, in the recent budget, plans to pilot Activity Agreements and an Activity Allowance to help re-engage 1617 year olds who have been out of education, employment or training for some time.

EU Students

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many EU students are expected to receive bursary support from English universities in each year between 2006 and 2010.

Bill Rammell: Reliable information on the bursary arrangements for EU students are not available centrally. The policy on bursary arrangements for EU students is set by each institution individual institutions' access agreements may or may not include this information, as it was not required by the Office for Fair Access.

Primary School Review (Gloucestershire)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with Gloucestershire education authority on its primary school review.

Jacqui Smith: The challenge of reducing the number of surplus places is one that many local authorities currently face. However, the Government believe that planning the supply of school places is best done locally by the local authority. Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient places and that high quality education is provided in a cost effective way.
	Should proposals be brought forward to close schools, the School Standards and Framework Act (SSFA) 1998 includes a requirement on local authorities to consult locally and publish statutory proposals. If objections are received, local independent school organisation committees will take decisions about school closures. Ministers have no direct involvement in decisions to review provision or reorganise schools.
	Consequently, neither the Secretary of State nor members of her ministerial team have entered into discussions with Gloucestershire about their review of primary schools. However, officials are in regular contact with local authority officers and are aware of the steps being taken in Gloucestershire to address the problem of surplus places in the primary sector.

Pupil Exclusions

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were excluded from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the area corresponding most closely to the constituency of Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002, (iii) 2003 and (iv) 2004.

Jacqui Smith: The available information is given in the table. Figures on permanent exclusions in 2003/04 will be available from 23 June 2005.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools:permanent exclusions by school type(3) 
		
			  Maintained primary Maintained secondary 
			  Number of exclusions Percentage(4) Number of exclusions Percentage(4) 
		
		
			 2000/01 (5) (5) 5 0.10 
			 2001/02 (5) (5) 8 0.16 
			 2002/03 (5) (5) 4 0.08 
		
	
	(3) Permanent exclusions are collected retrospectively. The Annual Schools Census (ASC) for 2004 collected data on pupils in schools in January 2004 together with data on permanent exclusions in the school year 2002/03. Figures are as reported by schools and are unconfirmed.
	(4) Number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the school population.
	(5) 3 or less, or a rate based on 3 or less.

School Meals Trust

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the School Meals Trust.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Friend to the response that I gave to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) on 7 June 2005, Official Report, column 478W.

Special Schools

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were in each category of special school in the (a) state and (b) private sector in each of the last five years, broken down by age range.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Maintained and non-maintained special schools, independent schools approved for pupils with SEN and other independent schools:Pupils by age(6)2000 to 2005 (provisional)position in January each year
		
			  2000 2001 
			  Maintained special schools Non maintained special schools Independent schools approved for SEN pupils Other independent special schools Maintained special schools Non maintained special schools Independent schools approved for SEN pupils Other independent special schools 
		
		
			 Under 5 5,916 91 74 132 5,934 74 47 151 
			 Total 510 31,406 994 996 766 30,649 910 967 799 
			 Total 1115 47,720 2,758 3,085 1,144 47,476 2,690 3,110 1,328 
			 Total 1619 6,760 925 597 174 6,904 961 599 175 
			 Total all ages 91,802 4,768 4,752 2,216 90,963 4,635 4,723 2,453 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 
			  Maintained special schools Non maintained special schools Independent schools approved for SEN pupils Other independent special schools Maintained special schools Non maintained special schools Independent schools approved for SEN pupils Other independent special schools 
		
		
			 Under 5 5,882 112 50 169 5,448 71 40 192 
			 Total 510 29,950 885 942 899 29,162 931 810 874 
			 Total 1115 46,917 2,699 3,194 1,581 47,135 2,910 3,059 1,783 
			 Total 1619 7,048 974 608 238 7,186 1,034 616 289 
			 Total all ages 89,797 4,670 4,794 2,887 88,931 4,946 4,525 3,138 
		
	
	
		
			  2004 2005 (provisional)(7) 
			  Maintained special schools Non maintained special schools Independent schools approved for SEN pupils Other independent special schools Maintained special schools Non maintained special schools Independent schools approved for SEN pupils Other independent special schools 
		
		
			 Under 5 4,994 79 61 107 4,620 80 50 110 
			 Total 510 27,773 842 770 904 26,690 860 710 910 
			 Total 1115 46,622 2,809 3,136 1,925 46,260 2,790 2,980 1,850 
			 Total 1619 7,541 1,105 676 282 7,920 1,140 690 260 
			 Total all ages 86,930 4,835 4,643 3,218 85,500 4,870 4,430 3,130 
		
	
	(6) Age as at the previous 31 August
	(7) Provisional figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Teacher Assaults

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers have been the victims of offences of violence in Coventry, South in each of the last 10 years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what involvement his Department will have in the Groundwater and Poverty Reduction in Africa Conference being held at Burlington House on 29 June.

Hilary Benn: Sustainable management of groundwater is critical to achieving DFID's commitments in water and sanitation. An official who leads on water resource management issues, based in DFID's Policy Division, will be participating in the Conference.

Departmental Relocation

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his Department's posts (a) have been relocated and (b) are under consideration for relocation from London to the deprived areas of the south-east.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development is implementing the Lyons Review recommendations to relocate 85 posts out of London and the south-east by 2010. This will not exclude consideration of relocating some posts to relatively deprived areas in the south-east. As yet, DFID has not identified any posts suitable for transfer to deprived areas in the south-east.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what percentage of staff in his Department have received training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) grade.

Hilary Benn: DFID's central training team covers the Race Relations (RR(Amendment) Act 2000 through its Corporate Induction Courses, Diversity Awareness training, Management Development Courses, and its Reporting Officer Training for Line Managers. All of these courses are mandatory and the vast majority of staff will have attended at least one of them in the last few years.
	In 2003 and 2004, for example, 1,659 spaces were filled on these courses. With a total staff compliment of 2,884, this suggests that up to 57 per cent. of DFID staff may have received training through one of these routes in this period. However, there will be some double counting as individuals might have attended more than one of these courses. Our current systems do not permit this level of analysis.
	Other training that covers the Act may be delivered across DFID and overseas. DFID departments do not necessarily report on all training and development activities centrally, so there may be under reporting on the above figures.
	Where we have identified functions that are relevant to the RR(A)AOO, we have trained staff working in these areas on both the general provisions of the Act and their duties under it. For example, our Procurement Department staff receive specific training on the RR(A)AOO, and we have included a reference to our obligations under the RR(A)AOO in our departmental guidance. We are unable to provide precise details of the numbers of staff who have received this training or a breakdown of attendance by ethnicity and grade. However, DFID is fully aware of its obligations under the RR(A)AOO and we are currently in the process of developing a Learning Management System that will enable us to monitor both applicants for, and recipients of, all training courses by ethnicity, grade and other personal characteristics. We aim to have the learning management system in place by the end of 2006 at the latest.
	However, as an interim measure, we completed a manual data collection exercise of actual training delivered, which was then analysed by ethnicity, for a 10 per cent. sample of randomly selected staff in the organisation. There was no evidence of disparities in attendance rates between ethnic groups.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Casinos

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications for casinos licences have been received by the Gaming Board in each month since October 2004; how many were successful; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Gaming Board considers applications for Certificates of Consent for casinos. Once a Certificate of Consent is issued, operators can then apply to the Licensing Justices for a Gaming Licence. The table sets out the number of applications for Certificates of Consent in respect of new casinos that the Gaming Board has received since October 2004, and the current position on these applications. The Board also considers applications for Certificates of Consent in respect of existing casinos, where there are significant changes to the ownership or fabric of the casino. This information has not been included in the table.
	
		
			  Received Approved Withdrawn Outstanding 
		
		
			 October 2004 2 1 0 1 
			 November 2004 3 1 0 2 
			 December 2004 4 (8)4 0 0 
			 January 2005 2 (8)2 0 0 
			 February 2005 1 1 0 0 
			 March 2005 4 1 2 1 
			 April 2005 1 0 0 1 
			 May 2005 6 0 0 6 
			 June 2005 (as at 17 June 2005) 13 0 0 13 
			 Total 36 10 2 24 
		
	
	(8) One application approved by the Gaming Board is not being progressed to licensing stage by the applicants.

Club Licences

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate has been made of the number of sports and community clubs whose existing licence expires after 6 August.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 20 June 2005
	All sports and community clubs currently selling or supplying alcohol require authorisation under the Licensing Act 1964. Most of these operate as registered members clubs and do not sell alcohol to the general public. Such clubs hold club registration certificates, whilst those selling to the general public hold full justices' on-licences.
	We do not have figures for the numbers of sports and community clubs in particular that hold licences or certificates. However, at 30 June 2004 there were 19,913 registered clubs in England and Wales. This number also includes political, ex-services, working men's and other clubs as well as Miners' Welfare Institutes.
	DCMS deposited the source publication for these figures Statistical Bulletin Liquor Licensing (England and Wales, July 2003-June 2004) on 27 October 2004 in the House Libraries. This document is available on the DCMS website at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/research/statistics_outputs/liquor_licensing_statistics.htm
	All such certificates and licences would cease to have effect when the new licensing regime comes into force on 24 November. It is not known centrally how many club registration certificates may expire between 6 August and 24 November. Until 24 November, it remains open to any club to apply to the magistrates courts to renew its certificate pending the coming into force of the 2003 Act.

Disabled Civil Servants (Bursary Scheme)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many civil servants in her Department participate in the Bursary Scheme for civil servants with disabilities.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 20 June 2005
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport currently has one person participating in the Bursary Scheme for civil servants with disabilities.

National Lottery

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much each local authority area received in Lottery awards in the last year for which figures are available; and what her estimate is of the total spend on National Lottery products in each area over the same period.

Richard Caborn: I have arranged for a table, showing a breakdown of the value of Lottery awards during the financial year 200405 in each local authority area, to be placed in the Libraries of both houses. The table is derived from the Department's Lottery award database, searchable at www.lottery.culture.gsi.gov.uk, which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors. Awards which a distributor has not identified as specific to a particular location are not included in the table.
	The National Lottery operator, Camelot, does not collect ticket sales data on a local authority basis. I would, however, refer my hon. Friend to an updated table of sales by postcode since the Lottery began, placed in the Libraries of both houses on 6 December 2004 in response to a written question from my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 6 December 2004, Official Report, column 333. Data is not routinely collected on this basis by Camelot.

National Sports Foundation

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the planned timetable for the establishment of the (a) National Sports Foundation and (b) National Investment Foundation.

Richard Caborn: Discussions on both the National Sports Foundation and National Infrastructure Foundation are at an early stage and decisions will be taken in due course.

New Opportunities Fund

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of funding from the New Opportunities Fund Round 3 has been spent.

Richard Caborn: Round 3 programmes include some funding from other rounds. Of the 1,834,569,000 available for distribution, 92 per cent. of this funding has been committed and 46 per cent. has been spent.

School Sport

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the 750 million announced by the Prime Minister for school sport at the 2000 Labour Party Conference has been (a) committed and (b) spent.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 20 June 2005
	670.5 million of New Opportunities for PE and Sport (NOPES) funding has been committed to date for over 2,000 facilities, with 106 million drawn down by local education authorities.
	Almost 90 per cent. of NOPES funding has now been committed. We anticipate that the remaining funding will be committed by December 2005 with the great majority of new facilities in use by spring 2006, in line with the original timetable.

Sports

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards meeting the target of 85 per cent. of five to 16-year-olds taking part in at least two hours' high-quality PE and school sport each week by 2008 and an optional extra two hours thereafter.

Richard Caborn: The last annual survey of School Sport Partnerships in 200304, in which over 6,500 schools took part, showed that 62 per cent. of children were spending two hours in a typical week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum. The 200405 annual survey is due to be completed by the end of July and the results published in August. Plans are being developed on the provision of opportunities for school children to engage in sport for an additional 23 hours outside the school day.

Sports Facilities

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards meeting the Department's aim that by 2008 almost no one will live more than 20 minutes travel time away from a good multi-sports environment.

Richard Caborn: In order to make progress towards the aim as expressed in DCMS's Five Year Plan, the Government have put in place a number of national programmes and by 2006 over 1 billion will have been invested in 4,000 sports facilities and club development, through either development of new facilities or major refurbishment of existing ones. In addition DCMS have supported the introduction of provisions in the Finance Act 2002 to allow community amateur sports clubs to benefit from a package of tax and rates relief. The scheme's purpose is to enable grass roots sport to grow and develop so that the widest possible range of people can participate in healthy recreation. To date the scheme has brought more than 5 million into grass roots sport, benefiting some 2,500 clubs.
	DCMS is also pursuing a number of activities aimed at helping local authorities to revitalise their leisure facilities:
	work is under way on developing a comprehensive facilities strategy, to map supply, demand and priorities for investment. This is expected to be concluded by 2006;
	the Audit Commission is undertaking a study to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of options for delivering local authority sports facilities. The study is expected to report in autumn 2005;
	we are looking at options to provide incentives to local authorities to prioritise sport through the Comprehensive Performance Assessment from 2006;
	we are working with ODPM to ensure that sports facilities planning guidance is rigorous, fit for purpose and free of unnecessary barriers; and
	we are seeking to identify the best ways of accessing the capital to build facilities.

Sports Survey 2005

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to publish the results of the sports participation survey to be carried out by her Department, beginning in autumn 2005.

Richard Caborn: The Department expects to publish the first quarter results of the participation survey by the end of 2005.

Swimming Pools (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local authority maintained swimming pools there were per 1,000 population in each London borough in the last year for which figures are available.

Richard Caborn: The number of swimming pools per 1,000 population in each London borough is shown in the table. At present, the only data held by Sport England is for the combined number of both local authority and private pools and the figures therefore include pools owned by schools, private leisure centres and health clubs, etc.
	In order to present an accurate picture of swimming pool provision, I also include the ratio of total swimming pool area in metres 2 per 1,000 population, which takes into account the size of the pools in each borough.
	
		
			 London borough Total population Total number of pools Ratio of pools per 1,000 population Total pool area in metres(10) Capacity ratio per 1,000 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 163,932 8 0.049 1,298.75 7.92 
			 Barnet 314,506 22 0.070 4,260.75 13.55 
			 Bexley 218,316 14 0.064 2,550.32 11.68 
			 Brent 263,507 8 0.030 1,068 4.05 
			 Bromley 295,544 28 0.095 7,125.51 24.11 
			 Camden 198,038 25 0.126 5,379.28 27.16 
			 City of London 7,162 14 1.955 2,285.9 319.17 
			 City of Westminster 181,276 40 0.221 8,014.75 44.21 
			 Croydon 330,562 28 0.085 6,414.03 19.40 
			 Ealing 300,975 26 0.086 4,463.5 14.83 
			 Enfield 273,530 16 0.058 3,726.15 13.62 
			 Greenwich 214,412 16 0.075 4,377 20.41 
			 Hackney 202,832 5 0.025 876.5 4.32 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 165,156 18 0.109 3,173 19.21 
			 Haringey 216,498 16 0.074 3,618.25 16.71 
			 Harrow 206,822 11 0.049 2,517.5 12.17 
			 Havering 224,243 12 0.054 2,621.24 11.69 
			 Hillingdon 243,065 20 0.082 3,721 15.31 
			 Hounslow 212,340 16 0.075 3,490 16.44 
			 Islington 175,792 14 0.080 3,368.5 19.16 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 158,902 16 0.101 2,350 14.79 
			 Kingston upon Thames 147,218 21 0.143 2,099 14.26 
			 Lambeth 266,143 11 0.041 3,281 12.33 
			 Lewisham 248,910 9 0.036 1,873.5 7.53 
			 Merton 187,924 14 0.074 2,907.5 15.47 
			 Newham 243,820 10 0.041 1,973.5 8.09 
			 Redbridge 238,666 11 0.046 2,332.5 9.77 
			 Richmond upon Thames 172,345 19 0.110 3,725.9 21.62 
			 Southwark 244,877 17 0.069 3,110.08 12.70 
			 Sutton 179,799 12 0.067 2,071.75 11.52 
			 Tower Hamlets 196,141 11 0.056 2,315.5 11.81 
			 Waltham Forest 218,278 15 0.069 2,582.5 11.83 
			 Wandsworth 260,393 20 0.077 7,388.53 28.38

Taxis

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Department has spent on taxis in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules contained in the Department's staff handbook.
	The following table shows departmental expenditure on taxis.
	
		
		
			 Financial year Amount 
		
		
			 200405 22,157.08 
			 200304 21,878.36 
			 200203 17,905.60 
			 200102 20,811.56 
			 200001 26,414.81

Tote

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2005, Official Report, column 583W, on the Tote, what additional information was provided to the EU Commission on (a) 9 September 2004 and (b) 1 March; and what matters were discussed in her meeting with Commissioner Kroes on 27 May.

Richard Caborn: In September 2004 the Government responded to the European Commission's request to provide more information about the valuation of the Tote, its ownership, the future relationship between the Tote and Racing, the proposed exclusive licence, the conditions of the sale and the pool betting market.
	In March 2005 the Government wrote to the Commission providing additional information about the valuation of the Tote and its ownership. We also provided details of why we believe any aid involved in the sale of the Tote is compatible with the principles of the Common Market. In addition we sought to place the sale of the Tote within a bigger picture of the liberalisation of the gambling market in Britain.
	When I met with Commissioner Kroes in May 2005 we discussed the Commission's on-going concerns about the sale. The Commission announced on 1 June that they would be opening a formal investigation into the sale and will publish a formal notice to that effect in due course.

CABINET OFFICE

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many officials currently in the Cabinet Office received honours in the recent Queen's Birthday Honours List; and at what rank of honour.

John Hutton: Details of all honours awards are published in the London Gazette. Details of whether officials recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list have stayed within their respective Departments have not been maintained.
	A table giving details of awards to officials within specified Departments has today been placed in the Library.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely cost of the additional troop deployments to Afghanistan; and whether costs will be met from existing departmental budgets.

Adam Ingram: Planning continues for the deployment of the Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) Group to lead the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from May 2006. We are also developing plans for the deployment of forces to enable the United Kingdom to play a key role in Stage 3 of ISAF expansion in the south of Afghanistan.
	Until that planning is complete, it would be premature and potentially misleading to speculate about the cost of potential deployments, which, as with all net additional costs of operations, we would expect to be funded from the reserve.
	An announcement will be made to Parliament once decisions have been made.

Army Personnel Research Establishment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of respondents to Army Personnel Research Establishment polls is.

Don Touhig: The Army Personnel Research Establishment no longer exists. The Services each have their own Continuous Attitude Surveys (CAS). The response figures for the two Army CAS surveys in 2004 is as follows:
	
		
			  Army CAS surveys 
		
		
			 Number surveyed 7,182 9,672 
			 Average percentage respondents 40 39

Army Personnel Research Establishment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how frequently Army Personnel Research Establishment polls are conducted.

Don Touhig: The Army Continuous Attitude Survey core programme consists of the serving personnel survey which is conducted biannually, and the Territorial Army and families surveys (sent to spouses of married officers and soldiers), which are conducted annually.

Army Personnel Research Establishment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will direct the Army Personnel Research Establishment to include a question in its next poll asking soldiers whether they had problems registering to vote in the 2005 general election;
	(2)  if he will make use of the Army Personnel Research Establishment polls to investigate how many soldiers were registered to vote in the 2005 general election.

Don Touhig: My noble Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Lord Drayson) announced on 6 June 2005, Official Report, column WA62, in another place that we are presently looking at the possibility of carrying out a survey. All surveys need to be carefully framed and then considered as part of the normal sequence of information gathering and analysis. Any such survey would be conducted on a tri-Service basis and not confined to the Army, and would need to be justified by reference to needs, costs and likely benefits.

Compassionate Leave

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the grounds which constitute a basis for compassionate leave of absence from active military duty.

Don Touhig: The purpose of compassionate leave is to allow Service personnel an authorised period of absence to enable them to attend to a personal crisis. There is no definitive list of occasions when it is appropriate to allow compassionate leave to be taken as each case requires individual, objective and sensitive assessment.

Defence Systems and Equipment Exhibition

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Ministers from his Department will be attending the Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition in September.

Adam Ingram: Defence Ministers have previously attended this biennial event, but for safety and security reasons it is not our practice to publicise Ministers' forward programmes.

Defence Systems and Equipment Exhibition

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Ministers from his Department attended the Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition in 2003; and which overseas delegates each met.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon), my noble Friend the Lord Bach of Lutterworth and I attended the Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition in 2003. Ministers or Ministry of Defence officials met delegations that were officially invited to the event. Official delegations attended from the following countries:
	Algeria
	Australia
	Austria
	Bahrain
	Belgium
	Botswana
	Brazil
	Brunei
	Bulgaria
	Canada
	Chile
	Colombia
	PRC (China)
	Czech Republic
	Denmark
	Egypt
	Finland
	France
	Germany
	Ghana
	Greece
	India
	Republic of Ireland
	Italy
	Japan
	Jordan
	Kazakhstan
	Kenya
	Republic of Korea
	Kuwait
	Malaysia
	Netherlands
	Nigeria
	Norway
	Oman
	Pakistan
	Peru
	Philippines
	Portugal
	Qatar
	Romania
	Saudi Arabia
	Singapore
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	South Africa
	Spain
	Sweden
	Thailand
	Trinidad  Tobago
	Turkey
	UAE
	USA
	Vietnam
	Venezuela.

Fleet Submarines

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fleet submarines are operational.

Adam Ingram: On 17 June 2005, nine SSN (Swiftsure and Trafalgar Class) and three SSBN (Vanguard Class) submarines were available for tasking by CINCFLEET.

Forces Training

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the training schemes available to members of overseas armed forces (a) at his Department's establishments in the UK and (b) given by members of the UK armed forces overseas.

Don Touhig: The availability of training courses to members of overseas armed forces is administered though three single-Service Training Agencies. A summary of the types of courses which are available to members of overseas armed forces at establishments in the UK is shown in the following lists:
	Types of training available to international students at UK establishments
	International Defence Training (Royal Navy)
	Air Engineering
	Aviation
	Degree Courses
	Diving
	English Language Training
	Global Maritime Distress and Safety System General
	Operators Certificate
	Hydrography, Meteorology and Oceanography
	Junior Officer Training
	Leadership Training
	Logistics Officer Training
	Marine Engineering
	Medical
	Mine Warfare
	Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Operations
	Physical Training
	Rating New Entry
	Royal Marine Training
	Seamanship
	Sea Survival
	Senior Upper Yardman Training
	Submarine Training
	Training Management
	Weapon Engineering Training
	International Defence Training (Army)
	Ammunition and Explosives
	Animal Training
	Armour
	Army Aviation
	Artillery
	Catering
	Communication Information Systems
	Close Protection
	Combined Arms Training
	Drill
	Driving
	Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
	Finance and Administration
	Infantry
	Initial Officer Training
	Intelligence
	Information Technology
	Language
	Logistics
	Medical
	Military Engineering
	Music
	Police Training
	Physical Training
	Search
	Staff Training
	Survey
	Technical Degree courses
	International Defence Training (Royal Air Force)
	Air Warfare
	Airmen's Command and Management Training
	Airmen's Specialist Training
	Command and Staff Training Engineer
	English Language Training
	Environmental Protection
	Fire Fighting
	Flying Related Training
	Flying Training
	Health and Safety
	Instructor Training
	Joint Logistics and Other Specialist Training
	Management and Procedural Training
	Medical and Dental
	Nuclear, Biological and Chemical
	Officers' Miscellaneous Training
	Parachute Training
	Physical Education
	Police and Security
	Quality Assurance
	Regiment Training
	Supply
	Further details of this training can be found at the following websites:
	www.idtroyalnavy.mod.uk
	www.britisharmytraining.mod.uk
	www.idtraf.mod.uk
	Attendance on these courses is dependent upon the level of security clearance that has been afforded to the country requesting the training and the security level of the course content.
	Details of training assistance currently given by members of the UK armed forces overseas are outlined in the following lists:
	Types of training assistance given by members of the UK armed forces overseas
	International Defence Training (Royal Navy)
	Anti-Air Warfare Training
	Board and Search Training
	Communications Training
	Develop Navigation Training
	Exclusive Economic Zone
	Protection Officer Training
	Practical Training at Sea for Coast Guard Vessels
	International Defence Training (Army)
	Ammunition Training
	Armour-Gunnery Training
	Border Management Training
	Close Protection Training
	Combined Arms Training
	Communications and Information Systems Training
	Infantry Training
	Intelligence Training
	International Explosives
	Disposal Device
	Logistics Training
	Mine Clearance
	Operational Training Advisory Group
	Operations in Built Up Areas
	Peace Support
	Police Training
	Recruit
	Surveillance
	International Defence Training (Royal Air Force)
	Advise on non-Commissioned Officer development
	Analysis of Training and Instructional Design
	Forward Air Controller Training
	Instructional Techniques Course
	Military Training
	Peace Support
	Personnel Selection Advice
	Quality Assurance Course
	Quality Audit of UK Training
	Qualified Helicopter Instructors
	Search and Rescue Advice
	Security Forces Training
	Security Sector Reform

Fylingdales

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what mechanism the US authorities pay the Ministry of Defence Police Agency for policing activities at Fylingdales.

Adam Ingram: The US authorities do not contribute towards the cost of policing at RAF Fylingdales.

Fylingdales

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the policing arrangements are at Fylingdales; how many people have been arrested there in each of the last five years; and what discussions the local police have had with demonstrators.

Adam Ingram: RAF Fylingdales is policed by a complement of Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) officers under the command of a chief inspector as the senior police officer. Groups of officers on duty are under the command of a duty inspector. A normal relief consists of a mixture of armed officers, unarmed officers and dog handlers.
	Since September 2002 a total of 14 persons have been arrested at demonstrations held at Fylingdales for endangering the safety of themselves and others and for committing criminal damage to the security perimeter fence.
	All demonstrations at Fylingdales are policed jointly by the MDP and North Yorkshire police and regular operational planning meetings are held in advance of all such events to ensure optimum safety and security. Prior to any planned demonstration both MDP and North Yorkshire police contact the organiser to discuss the event and the policing arrangements. On the day of any demonstration officers consult with the organiser again to emphasise where protestors can demonstrate safely and the areas they need to avoid. An information leaflet is given to all protesters on the day of the event.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many trained personnel have gone absent without leave in Iraq in each of the services since March 2003.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 14 June 2005
	None.

Joint Casualty Treatment Ship

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original timetable was for producing the design of the Joint Casualty Treatment Ship; and what the current schedule is.

Adam Ingram: A review of the programme to provide a Joint Casualty Treatment Ship (JCTS), formerly know as the Primary Casualty Receiving Ship, is taking place this year which will further inform the requirement and influence the design of the vessel. No decisions on the timescales for producing the design have been made.

Laptop Computers

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many laptop computers have been used by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each year since 1995; how many have been (i) lost and (ii) stolen in that period; what the cost was of the use of laptops in that period; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Detailed information on the number and cost of laptop computers used by Ministers, special advisers and officials of the Ministry of Defence each year since 1995 is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The total number of laptops in use in MOD is not centrally recorded since purchase is delegated to individual business units. The approximate number currently in use (covering laptops purchased in the last four years and held by both MOD civilians and Service personnel) is estimated to be in the order of 46,000 at an overall cost of 69 million.
	75 laptop computers belonging to the Ministry of Defence (including the armed forces) are recorded as having been lost and 590 as having been stolen since 1995.
	The Ministry of Defence is alert to the vulnerabilities of laptops and security policy and procedures are continually being reviewed and revised to introduce measures to reduce the numbers of laptops stolen or lost, and to mitigate the impact when losses occur.

Menwith Hill

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the payments made by the US Government for the use of the Menwith Hill base in North Yorkshire for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The US Government do not pay Her Majesty's Government for the use of RAF Menwith Hill, as the base is made available to the United States Visiting Force under the terms of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement 1951.

Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Project

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the companies to whom pre-qualification questionnaires for the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability project have been issued; when they are due to be returned; when a shortlist of companies will be decided upon; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Pre-Qualification Questionnaires for the competition to select the Integrator for the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) programme have been issued to the following 16 companies:
	Amec
	Babcock Engineering Services
	BAE Systems
	James Fisher  Sons
	General Dynamics UK
	Moulder Offshore Co
	KBR
	Lockheed Martin
	Maersk
	Qinetiq
	Raytheon Systems Ltd
	SAIC
	Serco Defence
	Swan Hunter
	Thales Group
	VT Group
	Responses were due to be returned to the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) by 14 June 2005.
	MARS is in the Concept Phase and no decisions have yet been made on the scope, timings or costs of the programme.

Military Estate

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the land and buildings owned by (a) the Defence Aviation and Repair Agency, (b) his Department, (c) the RAF, (d) the Royal Navy and (e) the Army that are (i) for sale, (ii) for lease and (iii) under discussion for possible disposal.

Don Touhig: Apart from Trading Funds such as the Defence Aviation and Repair Agency (DARA), all property is owned centrally by the Ministry of Defence rather than the individual Services, a list of which can be found on the National Asset Register website: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/Documents/Public_Spending_and_Services/National_Asset_Register/pss_nar_2001 index.cfm
	Details of all MOD properties and land currently listed for sale are available in the Library of the House. Since the sites identified for disposal can change, the list is kept under review and is generally updated quarterly.
	Until final decisions on disposals have been formally announced and been subject to normal consultations, it would be inappropriate to list sites under discussion for possible future disposal.
	No central record of land and buildings for lease is held by the MOD, due to their tendency to be localised and of limited duration.

Prisoners of War (Compensation)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the parliamentary ombudsman to report on the outcome of the complaint by civilian internees of the Japanese excluded from the compensation scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 665W, to the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Burrowes).

Shackleton Aircraft

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations his Department has received from former air servicemen reporting Shackleton ear hearing problems.

Don Touhig: This information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Shackleton Aircraft

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has undertaken on the long-term hearing effects on aircrew of Shackleton aircraft.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence has identified two research documents on the hearing effects on aircrew of the Shackleton aircraft. These are:
	Test Note 292Noise Measurement in Shackleton Aircraft produced in October 1950 by the Royal Aircraft Establishment
	Pitch Discrimination as Influenced by Medium Term Length in Shackleton Aircraft produced in May 1963 by the Royal Air Force Central Medical Establishment.
	It is not possible to establish whether any other research documents into this subject have been produced without incurring disproportionate cost.

Territorial Army (Lancaster)

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that, under the current review of Territorial Army centres in the United Kingdom, the centre in Lancaster is retained.

Don Touhig: Further to my reply on 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 18W, to the hon. Member, current work on rebalancing the Territorial Army is expected to come to fruition later in the year. I will ensure that the hon. Member is informed of the outcome in due course.

Troop Deployment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many army reservists undertook active deployment in the last year for which statistics are available; and in which deployments.

Don Touhig: The following numbers of army reservists were mobilised and deployed in the 12 months preceding 1 May 2005: some 2,930 to Iraq; some 210 to the Balkans; some 70 to Afghanistan and a number fewer than five to Sierra Leone.

Troop Deployment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the deployment of troops in Kosovo.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 97779.

Wassenaar Agreement

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the last occasion was on which (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) officials from his Department discussed the Wassenaar Arrangement with (i) Ministers and (ii) officials at the Department of Trade and Industry; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: From available records covering the last five years, there have been no specific discussions between DTI and MOD Ministers on the Wassenaar Arrangement.
	MOD and DTI officials regularly discuss the Wassenaar Arrangement. These discussions may include the FCO which has the overall policy lead on matters relating to such multilateral export control activities. The last Wassenaar Arrangement related discussion between MOD and DTI officials was on 15 June 2005.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Clostridium Difficile

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000 have been attributable to clostridium difficile.

Angela Smith: For the period 2001 to 2004 the total number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland where enterocolitis due to clostridium difficile; 1 was mentioned on the death certificate is given in the following table. The table also includes the number of deaths where enterocolitis due to clostridium difficile was the underlying cause of death. Figures for earlier years are not available as the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision was used prior to 2001, and no specific code for this condition exists in the previous version of the International Classification of Diseases.
	1 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code A04.7 for years 200104.
	
		Table: Number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland with enterocolitis due to clostridium difficile mentioned on the death certificate, and the number of these where it was also the underlying cause of death, 200104
		
			  2001 2002 2003 (9)2004 
		
		
			 Enterocolitis due to clostridium difficile mentioned on the death certificate 13 24 28 37 
			 of which: 
			 Enterocolitis due to clostridium difficile is the underlying cause of death 7 10 13 15 
		
	
	(9) Data for 2004 is provisional.

Donaghadee Treatment Works

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons he decided to invoke Crown Immunity in proceeding with his decision to site a new wastewater treatment works at Donaghadee, County Down; and for what the reason the decision was made after the prorogation of Parliament.

Angela Smith: The planning application in respect of the Waste Water Treatment Works at Donaghadee was a Crown Development application. It was processed in the normal manner and was assessed on its individual merits against the prevailing planning policies and planning considerations for the area.
	The final approval notice issued on 4 April 2005 before the prorogation of Parliament.

Food Poisoning

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of food poisoning there have been in the Province in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The number of cases of food poisoning reported in the Province in each of the last five years is detailed in the table.
	
		
			 Calendar year Number of cases 
		
		
			 2004(10) 1,666 
			 2003 1,268 
			 2002 1,220 
			 2001 1,644 
			 2000 2,285 
		
	
	(10) The figure for 2004 is provisional and is liable to change as further reports for this period are received.
	Note:
	Figures relate to the calendar year.

Health Trust Administration Costs

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the administration cost of each of the health trusts in Northern Ireland was in the 200405 financial year.

Shaun Woodward: The 200405 annual accounts for each of the health trusts in Northern Ireland, which contain information on the administration costs for the financial year are not due for finalisation until 26 August 2005, and therefore this information will not be available until this date.

Jobseeker's Allowance (Fishermen)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Class II fishermen claimed jobseeker's allowance in (a) contributions and (b) income-based categories in (i) Portavogie, (ii) Kilkeel and (iii) Ardglass in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: Separate statistics are not collected on claims to social security benefits by fishermen. I am therefore not able to say how many Class II fishermen have received benefits in the areas requested in the last three years.

NHS Direct

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to extend provision of NHS Direct to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: In Northern Ireland each of the four Health and Social Services Boards currently operate their own daytime telephone advice line. Out-of-hours providers for which each board is responsible deliver access to advice and services outside normal office hours. The Department is working with the four boards to consider further development of these services on a regional basis.

Northern Bank Robbery

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress made by the police service of Northern Ireland in its investigation of the Northern Bank robbery of 20 December 2004; and for what reasons there have been no arrests.

Shaun Woodward: The investigation into the Northern Bank robbery on 20 December is ongoing and continues to be one of the largest investigations currently undertaken by the PSNI. By the very nature of the crime committed, the investigation is complex, methodical and resource intensive and to date over 3,300 separate investigative actions have been raised. PSNI remain committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice but as with any serious crime investigation, the police will only conduct searches or make arrests at a time that is in the best interests of the investigation and the administration of justice.

Occupational Therapy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time for assessment for occupational therapy is in each hospital trust in the Province.

Shaun Woodward: Information on average and longest waiting times for occupational therapist assessment in hospital trusts is not collected as occupational therapy is primarily a community-based service. Information is, however, available on the time individuals aged 19 and over had waited for assessment by community occupational therapists to commence, according to specified time band. The number of adults in each time band is shown in the table in respect of assessments commenced in the quarter ending 31 December 2004, the latest date for which such information is available. Information is provided for priority cases and non-priority cases separately, as different categories are used for recording.
	Time waited for commencement of assessment by community occupational therapists, quarter ending 31 December 2004
	
		Time waited for commencement of assessment by community occupational therapists, quarter ending 31 December 2004
		
			  Number of adults 
		
		
			 Priority cases  
			 Less than two weeks 3,561 
			 Two weeks and under one month 1,136 
			 One month and over 1,102 
			 Total 5,799 
			   
			 Non-priority cases  
			 Less than three months 2,214 
			 Three months to under six months 439 
			 Six months and over 1,082 
			 Total 3,735

Occupational Therapy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients are awaiting assessment for occupational therapy in each health trust area in the Province.

Shaun Woodward: The numbers of individuals aged 19 and over awaiting assessment for occupational therapy at 31 December 2004 for each Health and Social Services Trust, according to priority and non-priority cases, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Priority cases Other (non-priority) cases Total 
		
		
			 North and West Belfast 343 1,072 1,415 
			 South and East Belfast 57 195 252 
			 Ulster Community and Hospital 22 600 622 
			 Down Lisburn 70 694 764 
			 Causeway 357 747 1,104 
			 Homefirst 726 1,034 1,760 
			 Armagh and Dungannon 19 303 322 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge 461 360 821 
			 Newry and Mourne 143 964 1,107 
			 Foyle 247 1,348 1,595 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 210 522 732 
			 Northern Ireland 2,655 7,839 10,494

Olympic Bid

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by his Department in promoting London's 2012 Olympic bid in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Expenditure of 55,113.87, excluding VAT, has been incurred in promoting London's Olympic bid in Northern Ireland.

Olympic Bid

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been earmarked by his Department for Northern Ireland's participation in hosting the Olympic Games in 2012 should London's bid be successful.

David Hanson: The Government and the Mayor of London have estimated that a public funding package of 2.375 billion would be required to host the Games should London's bid be successful. It is too early to earmark funding for Northern Ireland's participation in hosting the Games.

Postal Votes

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many postal votes were issued in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland at the last general election; and of those issued, how many people went on to vote by post.

David Hanson: This issue is an operational matter and is the responsibility of the chief electoral officer who is writing to the hon. Lady. The letter contains the following information:
	
		
			  Constituency Postal ballot papers issued Postal ballot papers returned 
		
		
			 Belfast East 584 493 
			 Belfast North 570 488 
			 Belfast South 681 492 
			 Belfast West 743 586 
			 East Antrim 622 517 
			 East Londonderry 1,647 1,399 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 4,559 4,060 
			 Foyle 2,515 2,210 
			 Lagan Valley 1,087 941 
			 Mid Ulster 2,891 2,659 
			 Newry and Armagh 1,873 1,664 
			 North Antrim 1,444 1,245 
			 North Down 727 577 
			 South Antrim 711 633 
			 South Down 2,041 1,749 
			 Strangford 861 722 
			 Upper Bann 1,162 1,043 
			 West Tyrone 2,962 2,722 
			 Total 27,680 24,200

Railway Crossing (Lurgan)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many trains pass through Lurgan on weekdays; and for how long on average each day William Street is closed to traffic and pedestrians as a result.

Shaun Woodward: 110 trains pass through Lurgan on each weekday, 55 in each direction. This necessitates the closure of the barrier at William Street for approximately two minutes on each occasion. As a result, the William Street barrier is closed in total for approximately three hours and 40 minutes daily.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Inspire Magazine

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) cost and (b) circulation of Inspire magazine was in the last year for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie to Mr. Tim Boswell, dated 22 June 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the costs and circulation of the Jobcentre Plus 'Inspire' magazine. This falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	'Inspire' is designed to promote Jobcentre Plus services to customers by offering real examples of how others have been helped to get or keep employment. It encourages customers to help themselves by making use of our services, including the Jobseeker Direct telephone line and website. We plan to produce 'Inspire' four times a year.
	To date, two editions of 'Inspire' have been produced. The cost per edition has averaged 70,400 for 210,000 copies (33 pence per copy). 'Inspire' is mainly distributed to our customers through Jobcentre Plus offices, but copies are also sent to external organisations such as Citizens Advice and doctors' surgeries. 'Inspire' is also available on our website www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk.
	I hope this is helpful.

Acts of Parliament

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to make all Acts of Parliament published before 1988 for which his Department is responsible available online.

Stephen Timms: The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) within the Cabinet Office is the Queen's Printer of Acts of Parliament, and responsible for the publication of Acts of Parliament. HMSO has considered the publication of Acts prior to 1988, which is the earliest date when these were available electronically, but has decided not to do so as many have been heavily amended. To publish them in their original form would be misleading for many users. The Government are, however, taking forward development of a Statute Law Database which will contain the fully revised and updated text of all legislation from 1275. It is expected that this will be made available to the general public during 2006.

Incapacity/Invalidity Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the most recent average time taken between an application for incapacity benefit being received and the personal capacity assessment.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Incapacity/Invalidity Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of (a) invalidity benefit and (b) incapacity benefit (i) in cash terms, (ii) in real terms and (iii) as a proportion of the benefit budget for people of working age has been in each of the last 30 years.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 8 June 2005
	The available information is in the tables.
	
		Total expenditure on incapacity related benefits by year in nominal and real terms
		
			  Total invalidity benefit, sickness benefit and severe disablement allowance (nominal terms)(11) Total invalidity benefit, sickness benefit and severe disablement allowance (real terms, 200506 prices)(11) 
		
		
			 197475 665 4,544 
			 197576 885 4,824 
			 197677 1,093 5,252 
			 197778 1,331 5,631 
			 197879 1,605 6,117 
			 197980 1,735 5,660 
			 198081 1,912 5,279 
			 198182 2,180 5,495 
			 198283 2,301 5,417 
			 198384 2,319 5,220 
			 198485 2,657 5,684 
			 198586 2,891 5,868 
			 198687 3,138 6,172 
			 198788 3,457 6,439 
			 198899 3,868 6,735 
			 198990 4,386 7,135 
			 199091 5,076 7,653 
			 199192 6,355 9,037 
			 199293 7,214 9,934 
			 199394 8,136 10,913 
			 199495 8,823 11,665 
		
	
	
		
			  Total incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance (nominal terms)(11)(5507910012) Total incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance (real terms, 200506 prices)(11)(5507910012) 
		
		
			 199596 8,726 11,213 
			 199697 8,567 10,651 
			 199798 8,411 10,195 
			 199899 8,235 9,702 
			 19992000 7,796 8,990 
			 200001 7,780 8,868 
			 200102 7,789 8,657 
			 200203 7,716 8,292 
			 200304 7,575 7,918 
		
	
	(11) Information on income support (IS) paid to Short term sick and Long term sick and disabled client groups is not available prior to 199192, so IS expenditure is not shown for all years. As many incapacity benefit (IB) claimants receive income via IS, expenditure presented here is less than is usually quoted for total IB expenditure.
	(12) Incapacity benefit (IB) replaced invalidity benefit and sickness benefit in 199596. However, IB expenditure for 199596 includes a small amount of sickness and invalidity benefit.
	Note:
	All figures are expressed in  million and are rounded to the nearest  million.
	Source:
	DWP Benefit expenditure tables 1, 2, 3a and 4a.
	
		Expenditure on working-age incapacity related benefits by year in nominal and real terms, and as a proportion of working age expenditure
		
			  Total invalidity benefit, sickness benefit and severe disablement allowance paid to people of working age (nominal terms) (13)(5507910014)(15) Total invalidity benefit, sickness benefit and severe disablement allowance paid to people of working age (real terms, 200506 prices) (13)(5507910014)(15) Proportion of working age expenditure(16) (percentage) 
		
		
			 199192 5,341 7,595 25 
			 199293 6,065 8,352 24 
			 199394 6,859 9,200 24 
			 199495 7,467 9,873 26 
		
	
	
		
			  Total incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance paid to people of working age (nominal terms) (13)(5507910014)(15) Total incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance paid to people of working age (real terms, 200506 prices) (13)(5507910014)(15) Proportion of working age expenditure(16) (percentage) 
		
		
			 199596 7,543 9,692 25 
			 199697 7,594 9,441 25 
			 199798 7,607 9,220 26 
			 199899 7,660 9,025 26 
			 19992000 7,491 8,638 27 
			 200001 7,614 8,679 28 
			 200102 7,623 8,473 28 
			 200203 7,553 8,117 27 
			 200304 7,406 7,741 26 
		
	
	(13) Information on income support (IS) paid to Short term sick and Long term sick and disabled client groups is not available prior to 199192, so IS expenditure is not shown for all years. As many incapacity benefit (IB) claimants receive income via IS, expenditure presented here is less than is usually quoted for total IB expenditure.
	(14) Incapacity benefit (IB) replaced invalidity benefit and sickness benefit in 199596. However, IB expenditure for 199596 includes a small amount of sickness and invalidity benefit.
	(15) The working age expenditure is consistent with published figures for DWP Objective 2, to promote work as the best form of welfare for people of working age, while protecting the position of those in greatest need. Information prior to 199192 is unavailable.
	(16) The working age proportion is part of the total working age expenditure published under DWP Objective 2, which includes expenditure on housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	Note:
	All figures are expressed in  million and are rounded to the nearest  million.
	Source:
	DWP Benefit expenditure tables 1, 2, 3a and 4a.

Jobcentre Plus (Staff Training)

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice and training is available for employees of Jobcentre Plus on autistic spectrum disorders.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. She will write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie to Mrs. Janet Dean, dated 22 June 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question regarding the advice and training available to Jobcentre Plus employees on autistic spectrum disorders. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	It may be helpful to explain that we have a Disability Awareness Open Learning Handbook which details autistic spectrum disorders; the effects they have on individuals; the implications for work, and the possible types of support an individual might need in employment. This information was approved by the National Autistic Society and is recommended learning for all advisers and mandatory learning for Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs). We are currently working with the Society to enhance our learning materials further.
	In addition, all Jobcentre Plus staff have access to information about autistic spectrum disorders through guidance on our Intranet.
	I hope this is helpful.

Pathways to Work

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on incapacity benefit in the Pathways to Work pilot areas have refused to engage with the job-search and support staff; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: People claiming incapacity benefits in Pathways to Work areas are not required to undertake job-search activities. However they may be sanctioned for failing to attend or take part in a work focused interview (WFI) with a Jobcentre Plus personal adviser.
	Between April 2004 and March 2005 92,420 people entered Pathways to Work pilot programmes, of whom 28,949 people had an initial WFI. 17,363 people went on to have one or more repeat WFIs. In the period from December 2004 to April 2005 182 sanctions were imposed. Some individuals may have had more than one sanction imposed on them so the figure is a close approximation but not the exact number of individuals sanctioned.

Private Finance Projects

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the private finance initiative and public-private partnership projects his Department is undertaking; and what the status of each is.

Margaret Hodge: The Department for Work and Pensions is currently engaged in 11 public-private partnerships, of which nine are private finance initiatives. The status of each of these is operational. These are a combination of those let to April 2001 by the former Department for Social Security and the Employment Service, which was an executive agency of the former Department for Education and Employment; and those let subsequently by the DWP.
	The nine DWP private finance initiatives are:
	1. PRIME (Private Sector Resource Initiative for the Management of the Estate). A 20-year PFI partnership deal competitively awarded by the then Department of Social Security to Trillium (now called Land Securities Trillium) on 1 April 1998. This will provide serviced offices until 2018 in return for payments over the life of the contract estimated at 2.008 billion in net present value. Following the creation of DWP in June 2001 the former Employment Service estate was transferred to Land Securities Trillium from 15 December 2003 under an expansion of the PRIME contract. The National Audit Office has carried out an independent scrutiny of this transaction and its report was published on 26 January 2005.
	2. A 10-year PFI IT Partnership (ITP) between the Employment Service and EDS for the provision of IT and telephony services awarded in August 1998 and extending to July 2008. So far this has developed and delivered the Modernising ES IT initiative, including the set up of Jobpoints, and will continue to provide all ES IT and development of innovations.
	3. A PFI partnership between the Employment Service and Northgate HR (formerly Rebus Human Resources Services) awarded in February 1999 to deliver human resources services, including payroll and personnel administration.
	These services will be delivered under this contract until they are incorporated into the new, DWP-wide resource management system currently being developed.
	4. A 10-year PFI deal for the Strategic Outsourcing Business Allocation (SOBA) awarded to Affinity consortium (EDS, IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers) on 8 August 2000.
	5. A 10-year PFI deal for the Child Support Reforms business allocation awarded to Affinity on 8 August 2000.
	6. A five-year PFI deal to deliver Wide Area Network (WAN) services awarded to Arcway consortium (BT Syntegra) in November 2000.
	7. A four-year PFI deal to support Pensions Forecasting awarded to Affinity on 6 June 2002.
	8. An eight-year PFI deal to support New Tax Credit systems awarded to Affinity on 13 December 2002; and
	9. A five-year PFI deal to provide advanced telephony services to contact centres awarded to Arcway in April 2003.
	The Department's private finance initiatives and annual expenditure are all disclosed in the Department's Resource Accounts. This information is recorded in the operating cost statement. There is also a separate section, Commitments under PFI Contracts, that lists all the PFI contracts and discloses the total payments to which the Department is committed in the next financial year.
	The Department's Resource Account is available in the Library and can be accessed at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2004/res_ac/report.pdf
	In addition the Department has two public-private partnership agreementsa Lead Service Provider agreement made with Affinity in September 2000 and a Network and Office Service Provider (NOSP) agreement made with Arcway in November 2000.

Unemployment (Young People)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government are taking to encourage unemployed young people to learn new skills.

Margaret Hodge: The Government recognise the importance of ensuring that our current and future work force have access to relevant training to ensure they have the skills required by employers to get into and get on in work.
	From 1997 to March 2005, 1.22 million young people aged between 18 and 24 have improved their job prospects and raised their skills levels through New Deal for Young People (NDYP), and of these 460,550 have moved into work. NDYP offers four options; a period of full-time education and training, voluntary work with training, participation on an environmental task force which combines training with community focused work experience and a subsided employment option. Skills training is available on all four options.
	From April 2004 we gave New Deal personal advisers the flexibility to individually tailor provision to allow participants to move freely between options. Young people are encouraged to take part in the options by a weekly top-up payment of 15.38. Those who refuse to take part in the options period can face benefit sanctions.
	Jobcentre Plus Districts are also working with local Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs), through annual joint delivery plans. These ensure that customers without a qualification, or with less than a level 2 qualification, are given the opportunity to access skills training funded by the LSC where that training is needed to gain sustainable, productive employment.
	There are also opportunities for Jobcentre Plus clients to train in the work environment. Access to training in employment has increased through the successful Employer Training Pilots. The Government's decision to develop these principles through a national Employer Training Programme will further increase these opportunities. The Skills for Business Network also works with the LSC and Jobcentre Plus to increase access to Modern Apprenticeships by disadvantaged young people and adults.

PRIME MINISTER

Engagements

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Prime Minister what official engagements he has for July and August.

Tony Blair: For security reasons, my future engagements are announced as and when appropriate.

Taxis

David Davies: To ask the Prime Minister how much his Office has spent on taxis in each of the last five years.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I have therefore asked my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Hutton) to reply. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Library of the House.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan (Participation of Women)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in Afghanistan in line with the Berlin Declaration with particular reference to provision for the participation of women in all sectors of the economy and society.

Kim Howells: Women's rights have improved dramatically since the fall of the Taliban and progress continues to be made under the new government. Ensuring that women play a full role in Afghan society remains an important priority for the international community. In many areas ordinary women are now able to work and move about freely in a way that was impossible under the Taliban. The new constitution specifically protects women's rights and reserves a proportion of seats in parliament for women candidates. For last year's presidential elections, over 40 per cent. of those registered to vote were women. 40 per cent. of those who actually voted were women. Presidential candidates included one woman. President Karzai's cabinet includes two women, Dr. Massooda Jalal, Minister of Women's Affairs and Sediqa Balkhi, Minister of Martyrs and Disabled. Habiba Sarabi became Afghanistan's first female Governor (of Bamiyan) earlier this year.
	Securing the full participation of women in all sectors of the economy and society will take time. To this end, the UK has a regular dialogue with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and is committed to working with the Afghan government and its international partners to improve women's ability to exercise their rights.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development have agreed a comprehensive Gender Strategy for 200405, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Afghanistan (Participation of Women)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed in all sectors, programmes and policies in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Department for International Development Gender Strategy for Afghanistan remains the cornerstone of our approach to gender equality in Afghanistan. The operational strategy for 200405 aimed to mainstream gender into policy and programmes and targeted interventions. The priorities are:
	A: Promoting Security and the Rule of Law;
	B: Promoting Women's Civil and Political Rights; the FCO is currently promoting women's access to justice with a 240,000 programme to train Afghan lawyers in human rights advocacy, with a specific focus on women;
	C: Protecting Women's Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
	A full copy of the Gender Strategy is available in the Library of the House.

Brussels Summit

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which proposals the Government will place on the agenda for the Brussels summit on 16 and 17 June.

Douglas Alexander: The Government are not putting forward any specific proposals at the European Council. The Council will discuss, among other things, the Constitutional Treaty, the Community Budget for 20072013, enlargement, the action plan to implement the Hague Programme on freedom, security and justice, and the Union's Overseas Development Assistance commitments as we prepare for the UN Summit in September.

China (Religious Policy)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of China's new Provisions on Religious Affairs.

Ian Pearson: Since the passing of the new regulations on religion in March 2005 there has been little apparent change in the challenges facing religious groups and organisations in China. China's new provisions on religious affairs reaffirm existing restrictions on religious practice. They keep the requirement for all religious groups to register and set out penalties for non-compliance.
	We do not expect the new regulations to improve the situation for unregistered religious groups which continue to be put under pressure.
	We raised our concerns about religious freedom at the latest round of the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue, held in London on 6 June.

Embassy Staff Levels

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff are based at each UK embassy.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has a network of 233 diplomatic posts worldwide: 153 embassies and high commissions: 10 missions to international organisations such as the UN, the EU and NATO; and a further 70 consulates and deputy missions outside the capital cities in some countries. In addition there are 38 posts staffed entirely by local staff; 229 honorary consuls; and resident governors in nine of the 14 UK overseas territories.
	Our embassies, missions and consulates are staffed by a mixture of FCO UK based staff, locally recruited staff and officers from other UK Government Departments.
	There are approximately 6000 FCO UK based staff of whom about 2800 are based at our overseas posts at any one time. Overseas posts collectively employ about 10,000 locally engaged staff.
	Figures are not held centrally on the total number of staff at each individual mission. This information could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Hezbollah

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the UK has to recognise Hezbollah.

Kim Howells: The UK has no plans to recognise Hezbollah. The UK only recognises states, not non-state actors.
	Hezbollah is a political, social, religious and self-styled national resistance movement. The UK proscribed part of Hezbollah, the External Security Organisation, as a terrorist organisation in February 2001 under the Terrorism Act 2000. In this context we keep the behaviour of Hezbollah, and its status, under constant review.
	In December 2001 our embassy in Beirut initiated contacts with Hezbollah, with ministerial approval. Since then there has been irregular contact. The last such contact with Hezbollah was in February 2005. In discussions with Hezbollah, British officials made clear the Government's well-known opposition to terrorism and the importance of Hezbollah's ending attacks on Israel and reducing tension along the Blue Line. No further such meetings are planned.

Hong Kong

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a Minister last visited Hong Kong; and when he expects the next visit by a Minister.

Ian Pearson: My hon. Friend the former Minister of State for Higher Education (Dr. Howells) visited in February this year, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Bill Rammell) visited in October 2004 and my right. hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State for Home Affairs (Baroness Scotland of Asthal) visited in December.
	I will be visiting Hong Kong and mainland China in early July. A number of Ministers will be attending the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial in Hong
	Kong later this year.
	My hon. Friend may also be interested to know that Donald Tsang, visited the UK in October 2004 in his capacity as the then Chief Secretary and met my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor.

Jos Bustani

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) the UK's support for the dismissal of Jos Bustani as director general of the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons in 2002 and (b) the International Labour Organisation judgment on 26 July 2003 relating to Mr. Bustani's dismissal.

Kim Howells: In a vote of no confidence at the March 2002 Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons Executive Council, a significant proportion of the Council showed they had lost confidence in Mr. Bustani in his role as director general. Only five of the council's 41 members voted in support of Mr. Bustani. As Mr. Bustani did not resign following this vote, a special conference of states party was held in April 2002 and a subsequent vote supported the earlier results. Mr. Bustani's appointment was accordingly terminated. It was our view that Mr. Bustani should be replaced by someone who enjoyed the full confidence of all the states party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Our policy throughout was guided by our judgment of what was in the best interests of the OPCW and the CWC.
	Mr. Bustani pursued a compensation claim against the OPCW before the International Labour Organisation Administrative Tribunal. The judgment reached by the Tribunal in July 2003 awarded Mr. Bustani damages, including payment for loss of earnings. The OPCW subsequently appealed against the award for loss of earnings and the damages were later reduced. The OPCW duly paid Mr. Bustani the reduced damages in accordance with its legal obligation to do so.

Sri Lanka (Tamil Separatists)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in Sri Lanka, with particular reference to the Tamil separatists.

Kim Howells: We are encouraged that the three-year-old ceasefire between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) remains in place. It is essential that it continues to do so and that both sides desist from activities which could put it in danger. In this context we fully endorse the recent statement by the Tokyo Conference of Co-chairs expressing concern that respect for the ceasefire is being undermined by persistent violence producing a climate of impunity. We call upon the LTTE to end their assassinations and stop their recruitment and use of child soldiers. We also call upon the Government of Sri Lanka to take decisive action to ensure that killings are stopped and paramilitaries are disarmed immediately as required by the ceasefire agreement.
	The Government are concerned that there have been no direct peace talks since April 2003. We work closely with international partners to encourage all parties to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible. The tragedy of the 26 December 2004 tsunami represented an opportunity for all communities in Sri Lanka to work together. The putting in place of a post-tsunami aid coordination mechanism for the North and East should provide a framework for more effective tsunami assistance and help build confidence between the two sides. We welcome the determination shown by the President to achieve the enactment of such a joint mechanism and encourage all sides to implement it rapidly and effectively.

UN Disengagement Observer Force

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the United Nations Secretary-General's proposal to extend the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in the Middle East.

Kim Howells: The UK supports the UN Secretary-General's proposal to extend the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force for a further six months until 31 December 2005. If agreed by the Security Council, we look forward to the Secretary-General's report on developments at the end of that period.

UN Resolution 1559

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the implementation of resolution 1559 of the United Nations Security Council.

Kim Howells: Our assessment of the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 does not differ from the UN secretary-general's in his first six-monthly report on the implementation of UNSCR 1559 (UN document S/2005/272), which was issued on 26 April 2005.
	With our partners in the international community, the UK will work towards full implementation of UNSCR 1559.

Visas

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the issuing of visas to overseas doctors; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not received any recent representations on the issuing of visas to overseas doctors and neither has my noble Friend the Minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman of Tottenham) responsible for entry clearance overseas.

Visas

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long a person who has been granted a two-year visitors' visa has to stay out of the country after making a first visit of six months' duration before he or she may return for a second visit.

Kim Howells: There is no minimum period for a person issued with a two-year multiple entry visa to be out of the UK after a six-month visit, before being allowed to re-enter. Re-entering the UK would be subject to the immigration officer at the port of entry being satisfied that each of the visa requirements is met by the visitor. This includes showing that the visitor is genuinely seeking entry as a visitor for a limited period not exceeding six months and that he/she intends to leave the UK at the end of this visit as stated by him/her.

World War Two Medals

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 24 May 2005, Official Report, column 1355W, on world war two medals, whether he has made a decision on the possibility of an exception to the rules governing the acceptance and wearing of foreign awards to enable British veterans who served on Arctic Convoys during the second world war to receive the Russian Defence of the Soviet Arctic Region medal.

Jack Straw: No final decision was taken on this matter because, in December 2004, the Russian authorities made known that they were no longer considering conferring the medal for the Defence of the Soviet Arctic Region on foreign war veterans.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Court Fines

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much revenue has been paid to the Exchequer from court fines in England in each year since 1995.

Harriet Harman: The table shows the total amount of fine receipts collected between 199495 and 200405.
	Traditionally all receipts from court fines have been returned to the consolidated fund and re-allocated through the spending review process. However since 200203 DCA has piloted a scheme aimed at increasing recovery rates of fines, in order to increase the effectiveness of the punishment as a deterrent. As part of this scheme my Department (DCA) retain a proportion of the fine income to finance enforcement costs. The DCA departmental expenditure limit is adjusted to take account of this new arrangement.
	
		Fine receipts paid to consolidated fund in the financial year --  million
		
			  Total fine receipts Amount paid to HM Treasury consolidated fund Amount retained by DCA for enforcement costs 
		
		
			 199495 147.6 147.6  
			 199596 150.4 150.4  
			 199697 144.3 144.3  
			 199798 152.1 152.1  
			 199899 153.5 153.5  
			 19992000 145.0 145.0  
			 200001 130.9 130.9  
			 200102 124.6 124.6  
			 200203 120.3 76.6 43.7 
			 200304 133.3 73.7 59.6 
			 200405 142.4 79.0 63.4 
			 Total 1,544.3 1,377.6 166.7 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures given are for fine receipts in England and Wales.
	2. Figures are not separately collated for England.

Marked Registers

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much is charged per page by local councils for the marked electoral register after local elections; how much is proposed to be charged by Pickfords for the general election marked register; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The fees and charges for the inspection and provision of copies of the marked register for local elections are at the discretion of the local authority, responsible for retaining the document.
	The fees structure for purchasing copies of the marked electoral registers for the 2005 general election, have been set by the Clerk of the Crown, with agreement by HM Treasury, as required under rule 57(3) of schedule 1, the Representation of the People Act 1983.
	They stand at 35p per copied page of A4; an 8 handling charge: and, postage and packaging at cost.

Marked Registers

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the photocopying rate per page to be charged by Pickfords for the marked electoral register.

Harriet Harman: Charges for obtaining copies of the marked registers are set by the Clerk of the Crown, with agreement from HM Treasury, as required under rule 57(3) of schedule 1, the Representation of the People Act 1983. Charges are set on the basis of cost covering, and not on a profit making basis. The charges for the 2005 general election have, in fact, not increased from those at the previous general election in 2001.

Marked Registers

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what reasons marked electoral registers are not retained by local councils following a general election.

Harriet Harman: The marked registers have traditionally been stored centrally, with other election documentation that the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery is required to retain for a period of one year after a general election.
	The Government have agreed with the Electoral Commission's proposal in its report, Voting for change, that in future, all documentation produced at a general election, including marked registers, should be stored by local authorities in England and Wales. The Government will legislate to provide for this at the earliest opportunity.

National Insurance Numbers

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her policy is on using National Insurance numbers in voter registration.

Harriet Harman: The Government currently has no plans to use National Insurance numbers in voter registration outside of Northern Ireland. This is in line with recommendations made by the Electoral Commission and the joint Office of the Deputy Prime Minster/Constitutional Affairs Select Committee.

Parliamentary Boundary Changes

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to publicise parliamentary boundary changes in Gloucestershire.

Harriet Harman: The final report of the Boundary Commission in relation to parliamentary boundaries in England has not yet been published. It will be laid before Parliament as soon as practicable after it has been submitted to the Secretary of State.

Postal Voting

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will estimate the cost to public funds of all-postal pilots election in each year since their introduction.

Harriet Harman: The all-postal pilots in June 2004 were held in combined European parliamentary and local elections across four English regions, the East Midlands, North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber. The Government do not yet have firm estimates for the cost of all-postal voting in those elections as some accounts are outstanding from local authorities.
	The other all-postal pilots since 2000 in local elections were funded by local authorities, not by central Government. I do not have figures for those costs. The Electoral Commission requested information on costs from local authorities as part of its evaluation of the pilots.

TREASURY

Child Trust Funds

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department plans to take to encourage parents to invest their Child Trust Fund vouchers immediately.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 15 June 2005, Official Report, column 385W.

Contraband

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is taking to prevent the (a) smuggling into the UK and (b) sale of contraband (i) tobacco products and (ii) alcohol; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: In 1997 this Government cancelled a previously planned reduction of 300 Customs staff. In 2000 we launched the Tackling Tobacco Smuggling (TTS) strategy which provided HM Revenue and Customs with an extra 209 million to fund almost 1,000 additional officers and a national fleet of x-ray scanners. In 2001, as part of TTS, we introduced Fiscal Marks for tobacco to prevent the sale of smuggled products.
	This strategy has been successful in first halting the previous rapid growth in cigarette smuggling and then reducing the market share for illicit cigarettes to its current level of an estimated 15 per cent. In the past four years more than nine billion cigarettes have been seized and over 259 gangs involved in large scale smuggling broken up. Furthermore, the total number of cigarettes successfully smuggled into the UK each year has been reduced by over five billion sticks, which represents a reduction of over one third.
	At Budget 2005 the Government confirmed the strategic approach it is taking to tackle spirits fraudthrough the introduction of regulatory change, including duty stamps for spirits, enhancing operational activity and working closely with the UK industryaimed at reducing spirits fraud by half by 2008.

Counterfeit Medicines

Charles Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what actions Her Majesty's Customs and Revenue are taking to tackle the importation of counterfeit medicines; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which Government agencies are responsible for tackling the importation of counterfeit medicines; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Responsibility for tackling the importation of counterfeit medicines lies with HM Revenue and Customs using their powers to take enforcement action against goods that breach the import and export prohibitions on counterfeit, pirated or patent infringing intellectual property rights as set out in EC Council Regulation 1383/2003. HMRC has publicised these procedures in Public Notice No. 34 'Intellectual Property Rights', which can be viewed at www.hmrc.gov.uk/Forms leaflets and booklets.
	HMRC targets counterfeit goods at importation using profiles set on its central systems in response to information received from those right holders who have submitted an application to have their rights protected at importation. HMRC detains any suspect consignments and provides the right holder with information that has been declared to HMRC, including details of the goods, importer and manufacturer. HMRC will seize any goods where the right holder confirms in a witness statement that the goods are counterfeit.
	Where HMRC detects a consignment of medicines that they suspect is counterfeit, and there is no application from a right holder in place, HMRC will detain the goods and invite the right holder to lodge an application. If the right holder does so within three working days and subsequently confirms in a witness statement that the goods are counterfeit, HMRC will seize the goods.
	In May 2005 officials from HMRC and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency met representatives from the pharmaceutical industry to explain the role of HMRC and agree steps that aim to improve the flow of information to HMRC and thereby enhance the targeting of suspect consignments of counterfeit medicines.
	HMRC also publicises its role through bodies such as the Anti-counterfeiting Group, at which officials offer advice concerning frontier protection of intellectual property rights to businesses whether they are registered right holders or not.
	HMRC are in discussion with the Patent Office and other enforcement agencies as part of the development of the UK's National Intellectual Property Crime Strategy. This strategy is designed to improve consumer awareness of the dangers of counterfeit goods, disseminate information of specific cases against known offenders and ensure a unified approach across Departments.

Customs Officers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made in recruiting additional customs officers.

Dawn Primarolo: The Chancellor announced in his pre-Budget statement in December 2004 an additional 5 million for the financial year 200506 and an additional 15 million for the financial year 200607 to fund additional resources for national security at the frontier.
	HMRC is currently contributing to this commitment through the redeployment of staff released through the staff efficiencies it is generating.
	It is not departmental practice to discuss levels of resourcing and deployment in this activity at individual locations as such information has security considerations

Governmental Pension Payments

George Mudie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Government departments pay (a) annuities and (b) pensions from public funds to descendants of individuals who were granted exceptional perpetual annuity or pension payments due to their exceptional public service.

Des Browne: The Treasury is not aware of any such payments being made by Government Departments.

Government Spending

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the percentage share of total Government spending devoted to (a) social security, (b) health and (c) education has been in each year since 1995 calculated on a consistent basis.

Des Browne: A consistent series of public spending on social protection, health and education from 198788 to 200405, the latest year available, is shown in table 3.2 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2005 (CM6521). Total Expenditure on Services (TES), a measure of total public spending on which the functional analyses are based, is also shown in table 3.2.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials currently in the Department received honours in the recent Queen's Birthday Honours List; and at what rank of honour.

John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him today by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Iraq

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated total cost to date is of UK operations and assistance in Iraq, broken down by month; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 21 June.

Matched Funding

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Treasury rules are for the provision of matched funding for projects part funded by the European Union; and what the value of matched funding was for (a) the UK and (b) each nation of the UK in each year since 2001.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 21 June 2005
	The rules for the provision of match funding for projects part funded by the European Union are set out on the DTI website at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/europe/mf2.htm.
	The total UK match funding allocations for 200104 are set out as follows:
	
		United Kingdom structural funds allocations 2001 to 2004(in 000 at 1999 figures)
		
			  Total match funding (National and Private) 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 England 2,389,340 2,404,085 2,383,537 2,181,623 
			 Scotland 441,178 417,787 394,786 356,354 
			 Wales 391,883 365,954 357,706 344,483 
			 Northern Ireland 96,086 96,401 94,372 99,630 
			 Total 3,318,487 3,284,227 3,230,401 2,982,090

National Insurance Fraud

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated levels of national insurance fraud are in the UK.

Dawn Primarolo: There is currently no reliable estimate of the level of national insurance fraud.

Tax Avoidance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the amount of tax avoided by UK citizens through tax havens with connections to the UK.

Dawn Primarolo: There is no reliable estimate of the amount of UK tax avoided or evaded by the use of tax havens.
	Tax avoidance and evasion damage the global economy. The UK is taking action both domestically and in co-operation with our international partners to counter avoidance schemes and protect UK tax revenues. In this regard, the UK has welcomed the commitments made by 35 jurisdictions (including UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories) to the OECD principles of transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes as part of the global initiative on harmful tax practices.

Tax Credits

Celia Barlow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in the constituency of Hove have received (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit since it was introduced; how many are receiving it; how many have received overpayments; what the average (i) amount and (ii) duration of the overpayment was; how many are repaying overpayments; how many have received lower payments than they were entitled to; and what the normal procedure is to correct that.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families (broken down by families with and without children) in each region, local authority and constituency with tax credits for 200304 awards, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 200304, appear in the HMRC statistical publication Child and Working Tax Credits Annual statistics. 200304 Geographical analyses. More recent provisional estimates for in-work families, as at selected dates in 200405, in each such area appear in the publication Child and Working Tax Credit Geographical Statistics.
	Estimates of the number of overpaid and underpaid awards, including average overpayments, at 5 April 2005 after finalisation for each such area appear in the publication Child and Working Tax Credits Annual statistics. 200304 Payments Geographical analyses. The estimates are based on samples and are subject to significant sampling uncertainty. All these publications can be found on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.
	Information on the average duration of overpayments is not available. Information on the numbers of families repaying overpayments in Hove is also unavailable. Details of how overpayments are recovered are provided in the Department's Code of Practice 26  What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit.
	HMRC's procedure for correcting underpayments is to make a lump sum payment, as was done for all 200304 underpayment.

Voter Registration

Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentages of residents are registered to vote in each local authority area.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tony Wright, dated 22 June 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the percentage of residents who are registered to vote in each Local Authority area. (5980)
	The percentage of residents who are registered to vote in each local authority area is not a reliable estimate of the registration rate of the eligible population: the resident population aged 18 and over is not the same as the number of people eligible to vote. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) does on occasion publish comparisons of the resident population of voting age (aged 18 and over) and the number of people who are registered to vote.
	I am placing in the House of Commons Library a table which gives a comparison between the number of registered electors and the estimated mid-2003 population for local authorities in England and Wales. Data are given for both parliamentary electorate and local/European electorate. In order to give an estimate of the number of electors at the mid-year point, 30 June 2003, a weighted average is taken of the 1 December 2002 and 1 December 2003 electoral data.
	The local/European electorate gives a better comparison than parliamentary electorate to resident population as EU citizens are included and UK citizens resident abroad are excluded from the local/European electorate. However, a number of other difficulties remain when comparing these sources. For example not everyone who is usually resident is entitled to vote (foreign citizens from outside of the EU and Commonwealth, prisoners, etc. are not eligible) and people who have more than one address may register in more than one place. In addition there is inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate as electoral registration officers vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died. This latter is the main reason some areas show apparent rates in excess of one hundred per cent. These factors may have a different impact from place to place.
	Any comparison of these data with figures for previous years should be made carefully as electoral legislation and other changes (such as EU expansion) can change the size of the electorate.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency (Catchment Areas)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average catchment area of an accident and emergency unit is in terms of (a) population and (b) travel time.

Liam Byrne: This information is not collected.

Actrapid Insulin

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has assessed on the effect on diabetic patients of changing their insulin regimes from actrapid or basal to other types.

Rosie Winterton: There has been no research to assess the effects on diabetic patients of changing their insulin regimes from the NovoNordisk product Actrapid or other basal types. All patients will be assessed individually by their clinician and prescribed an appropriate alternative. They will be trained in how to use/manage the new insulin and monitored closely over the short and long-term.

Air Pollution

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the findings were of the research the Department have conducted on the links between air pollution and health.

Caroline Flint: The findings of the Department's first two air pollution research programmes are published in Joint Research Programmes on Outdoor and Indoor Air Pollution: A Review of Progress 1999, which is available on the Medical Research Council Institute for Environment and Health's website at http://www.le.ac.uk/ieh/pdf/sr4.pdf
	A third research programme started in 2002 and is still ongoing. The projects selected for funding are listed on the Department's air pollution website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/07/06/08/04070608.pdf

Alliance Medical Ltd.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average cost of a scan conducted by Alliance Medical Ltd. on behalf of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust during the five-year life of the contract; what methodology was used to calculate the average cost; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 6 June 2005
	The average cost of a scan conducted by Alliance Medical Ltd. is a matter of commercial confidentiality and cannot be disclosed without prejudicing the commercial interests of the company. The contract was secured at excellent value being approximately half the national health service equivalent cost for the total patient episode.

Alliance Medical Ltd.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to which countries Alliance Medical send scan results produced under its NHS contract to be assessed.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 6 June 2005
	Scans are sent to qualified radiologists in Scotland, Belgium, South Africa and Spain.

Alliance Medical Ltd.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average amount of time is that a patient has waited for the results of a scan undertaken by Alliance Medical.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 6 June 2005
	The information is not collected centrally. However, the average reporting time for a scan is between four and seven and a half working days, that is, not weekends, bank holidays etc. The national health service timetable will determine when the results are given to the patient.

Ambulances (Equipment)

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's policy is on what equipment should be provided in ambulances.

Liam Byrne: The Department expects ambulances to be appropriately equipped to deliver care, in accordance with national clinical guidelines, to the patients they see. It is for each national health service ambulance trust to determine how this is done. Regional variations in service provision and type of vehicle, for example, weight allowance, are all factors, which trusts take into account. The British Standards Institute has a recommended list of equipment to be carried, which trusts can use and add to as appropriate.
	For emergency preparedness, every front line emergency ambulance is equipped to deal with a major incident, having on board and being familiar with their local major emergency plan and action cards. All have the correct level of personal protective equipment to allow them to work in a major incident environment. In the event of a major incident, every trust has emergency equipment vehicles carrying the extra medical supplies required for a large-scale incident and a mobile control unit, plus sufficient ambulance officers to manage the incident.

Audit Systems

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems of audit are used to check information provided by general practitioners to strategic health authorities and primary care trusts in terms of dealing with targets.

Liam Byrne: Audit of general practitioner information is a matter for primary care trusts and specifically their chief executives as accountable officers.

Autism

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research projects into the causes of autism have been (a) supported and (b) funded by the Government since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
	The MRC invested some 8 million in autism research in the seven years from 199798 to 200304. This total includes an allocation of 2.5 million made by the Department in 2002.
	Details of the projects funded in that period and more recently are shown in the table.
	
		MRC: currently funded autism projects
		
			  Grant holder University/ institute  Project title Award (000) 
		
		
			 Dr. K. Plaisted Cambridge An investigation of the mechanisms underlying the deficits in contextual processing in autism 222 
			 Dr. F. Happe Institute of Psychiatry, London Local-global processing and cognitive style in autism and normal development; cognitive and brain bases 246 
			 Professor A. Bailey Institute of Psychiatry, London A morphometric study of the Neuropathology of Autism 138 
			 Professor M. H. Johnson Birkbeck College Functional brain development in human infants: perceiving the social and physical world 1,703 
			 Professor P. Jacobs Southampton The effect of additional copies of chromosome 15q11-q13 with special reference to the autistic spectrum disorders 586 
			 Professor S. Baron-Cohen Cambridge The development of social intelligence in children with and without high functioning autism: cognitive and fMRI investigation 770 
			 Professor U. Frith University College, London Autism and social cognition 508 
			 Dr. K. Nation University of Oxford Vocal and non-vocal communication in autism 151 
			 Dr. T. Charman Institute of Child Health, London Characterising the cognitive phenotype of autism spectrum disorders 381 
			 Professor D. Murphy Institute of Psychiatry, London Brain anatomy in autism; a multi-centre study 700 
			 Professor J. Golding University of Bristol The aetiology of traits contributing to autism and the autistic spectrum disorders 408 
			 D. Bowler City University, London Integration of complex spatial and temporal elements of episodic memory in adults with Asperger's syndrome 190 
			 J. Green Manchester Pre-school Autism Communication trial (PACT) 1,320 
			 
			 Completed projects(17) 
			 Professor U. Frith University College, London Cognitive deficits in developmental disorders 1,292 
			 Professor P. Jacobs Cambridge The effects of duplications and triplications of chromosome 15qll-ql3 with special reference to autism 595 
			 Professor A. Bailey Institute of Psychiatry, London Collaborative molecular genetic study of autism 967 
			 Professor A. Bailey Oxford Collaborative molecular genetic study of autism (Oxford Centre) 708 
			 Professor A. Hall London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine A case control study of autism in general practice 364 
		
	
	(17) The most recently completed
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects, including a number concerned with the causes of autism, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Autism

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what advice she has given to the Department for Education and Skills regarding the training needs for those working with people with autistic spectrum disorders;
	(2)  what advice has been given to local authorities on the appropriateness of (a) learning disability teams and (b) mental health teams taking the lead responsibility for people with autism;
	(3)  if she will issue advice to local authorities regarding the desirability of having a named senior manager with responsibility for autism for both children and adults.

Liam Byrne: Valuing People, A New Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities (2001) recognises that many people with severe and profound learning disabilities have autistic behaviours, even if not formally recognised. It is important that all services for people with learning disabilities have the skills to recognise and make adequate provision locally for them although the majority will not need autism specific services.
	Adults with disabilities, including those with autism, are covered by the mental health national service framework in respect of their mental health problems.
	Addressing the training needs of those working with people with autistic spectrum disorders is the responsibility of the appropriate regulatory bodies. They set standards for the pre-registration training of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, approve the education institutions that provide the training and determine the curricula. Post-registration training needs for national health service staff are determined against local NHS priorities, through appraisal processes and training needs analyses informed by local delivery plans and the needs of the service.
	There are no plans to issue advice to local authorities regarding the desirability of having a named senior manager with responsibility for autism for both children and adults. It is for local authorities and health service providers to determine how best to provide services to meet the needs of the individuals.

Autism

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders among the black and minority ethnic population; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of adults with autistic spectrum disorders in (a) Staffordshire and (b) England;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of how many adults have undiagnosed autistic spectrum disorders; and what action is being taken to ensure that individuals receive a correct diagnosis and appropriate support.

Liam Byrne: Information on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) among the black and minority ethnic population is not collected centrally. The Medical Research Council's (MRC), Review of Autism Research (2001) states that it is unclear whether people of particular racial origins are more at risk for ASDs.
	The number of adults with ASDs living in Staffordshire is not available. The MRC report estimates that there are approximately 60 per 10,000 children under eight years old with ASDs in England. The prevalence in autism in the adult population is not known, nor are there estimates of how many adults have undiagnosed ASDs.
	It is the responsibility of all health and social care agencies to ensure that their staff are appropriately trained to make sure that individuals with ASDs receive a correct diagnosis and appropriate support.

Blind/Partially Sighted (Rehabilitation)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what rehabilitation help is available for blind and partially sighted people; how many trained staff there are who can provide that help in health trusts and local authorities; and what advice is she seeking to increase appropriate training and numbers;
	(2)  what action she plans to take to ensure that each health trust and local authority has an adequate number of trained people to deliver rehabilitation help to blind and partially sighted people in accordance with the Government's Fair Access to Care Services and if she will estimate the additional funding required in order to meet that target.

Liam Byrne: Rehabilitation services for blind and partially sighted people are predominantly provided by local authorities and to some extent NHS trusts. It is for those organisations to commission appropriate services based on local need. This would include the number, training and composition of teams available to provide rehabilitation for blind and partially sighted people, based on local need.
	Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) is a system to help local authorities to set eligibility criteria for provision of services. It is up to local authorities and health trusts to ensure they have an adequate number of trained people to deliver rehabilitation services to the blind and partially sighted people in their area.

Breast Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the cost of extending the routine NHS breast screening programme to (a) women aged between 70 and 75 years of age, (b) all women above 70 years of age, (c) women aged between 45 and 49 and (d) women aged between 40 and 49.

Rosie Winterton: Expanding the national health service breast-screening programme to include women aged 65 to 70 was supported by investment of 11.5 million, with an additional 11.4 million for new equipment. No assessment has been made on the cost of expanding the service to include women aged 70 to 75; however, we would expect it to be in a similar range. No assessment has been made on the cost of expanding the programme to include all women aged 70 or over. All women over 70 can request free three yearly breast screening.
	Research is ongoing into screening women aged 4049, entitled UKCCCR randomised controlled trial of the effect of breast cancer mortality of annual mammographic screening of women starting at age 40. This study is due to report in late 2005, at the earliest, and will address the issues of cost and cost effectiveness.

Breast Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the rate of implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's clinical guideline published on 23 June 2004 on The Classification and Care of Women at risk of Familial Breast Cancer in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Care, with particular reference to screening for women aged between 40 and 49; and what plans she has to extend the NHS breast screening programme to all women aged between 40 and 49.

Rosie Winterton: Clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) are reflected in the standards published by the Department, which provide a framework for continuous improvement in the overall quality of care people receive. Clinical guidelines are covered by the developmental standards, standards which the national health service is expected to achieve over time. The Healthcare Commission has responsibility for assessing progress towards achieving these standards.
	Clinicians are expected to take full account of NICE guidelines because they are based on the best available evidence and have been put together after wide consultation, drawing on the views of patients and carers as well as the experts in the field.
	Research is currently ongoing into extending the NHS breast screening programme to include women aged 4049, entitled UKCCR randomised controlled trial of the effect of breast cancer mortality of annual mammographic screening of women starting at age 40.
	The main aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of annual mammographic screening of women starting at ages 40 to 41 on mortality from breast cancer, thus giving a definitive answer to the outstanding question of whether population screening below 50 is beneficial or not. Full results are expected in late 2005 at the earliest.

Breast Screening

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to encourage greater choice on (a) when, (b) where and (c) how women can access the NHS breast screening programme.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 20 June 2005
	Choice is already an important part of the national health service breast screening programme. All invitations to be screened for breast cancer include leaflets on the benefits and limits of screening, allowing the woman to make an informed choice about whether to be screened or not. The invitation letter also includes details on how the screening appointment can be changed to a more convenient date and time. On average 30 per cent. of women rearrange their appointments each year.
	It is important to note that the amount of choice that the programme can offer is limited by the logistics involved in a screening programme that sees, on average, 1.4 million women each year. However, we are looking at how greater choice can be given. We are exploring, in London, the use of a central call centre, which will be closely followed and evaluated for implementation elsewhere in the country.

Clostridium Difficile

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients (a) have died from and (b) been infected by Clostridium difficile since 2003.

Jane Kennedy: The only routinely available mortality statistics on Clostridium difficile are those associated with enterocolitis, the most common illness caused by Clostridium difficile infection. The figures for 2003 are shown in table 1.
	
		Table 1: Number of deaths where enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile was mentioned on the death certificate and the number of these mentions where it was also the underlying cause of death,(18) England and Wales, 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Total mentions 1,748 
			 Underlying cause 934 
		
	
	(18) Selected using the code A04.7 from the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10)
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics.
	Complete information on the number of patients with Clostridium difficile infections in the last five years are not available but reports made under the Health Protection Agency's voluntary reporting scheme are shown in table 2.
	
		Table 2: Voluntary reports of Clostridium difficile infections diagnosed from faecal specimens for England, Wales and Northern Ireland
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2003 (19)35,537 
			 2004 (19)43,672 
		
	
	(19) Provisional data.
	Source:
	Health Protection Agency.

Dementia

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities provide adult placement services for people with early onset dementia.

Liam Byrne: I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection that this information is not held centrally.

Dementia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance the Government provides for (a) those with senile dementia and (b) their families.

Liam Byrne: Standard seven of the national service framework for older people, launched in March 2001, describes the services that we expect local health and social services organisations to provide for those with dementia, and their carers.
	The Government introduced the carers grant in 1999 for councils to provide support to carers in England through breaks and other services. The grant has increased each year and has provided an extra 450 million over the past six years. It is worth 185 million in 200506. In the last local Government finance settlement, we confirmed our commitment to continue the carers grant until at least the end of the 200708 financial year.
	Guidance called Developing Services for Carers and Families of People with Mental Illness, for the development of services for supporting carers of people with mental health problems, was launched by the then Minister for Community, Ms Jacqui Smith, in November 2002.

Dentistry

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of dental treatment was for (a) adults and (b) children in each London health authority in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Average gross fees for dental treatments provided for each of the strategic health authority areas in London in each financial year -- 
		
			   Financial year ending Average adult gross fees for courses of dental treatment Average child gross fees for courses of dental treatment 
		
		
			 1997   
			 North West London 51.32 46.42 
			 North Central London 51.06 48.38 
			 North East London 50.74 46.06 
			 South East London 48.87 38.58 
			 South West London 44.85 40.58 
			
			 1998   
			 North West London 49.14 35.03 
			 North Central London 48.99 42.65 
			 North East London 49.02 38.10 
			 South East London 46.35 33.87 
			 South West London 41.65 32.14 
			
			 1999   
			 North West London 50.91 38.56 
			 North Central London 50.21 46.18 
			 North East London 51.14 40.88 
			 South East London 47.91 37.06 
			 South West London 42.65 33.54 
			
			 2000   
			 North West London 53.14 41.45 
			 North Central London 53.07 50.34 
			 North East London 54.73 41.95 
			 South East London 50.67 40.19 
			 South West London 44.56 34.53 
			
			 2001   
			 North West London 54.40 46.99 
			 North Central London 54.65 56.77 
			 North East London 57.07 46.38 
			 South East London 51.59 39.75 
			 South West London 45.66 39.86 
			
			 2002   
			 North West London 56.21 51.83 
			 North Central London 57.01 59.83 
			 North East London 58.62 47.16 
			 South East London 53.50 40.65 
			 South West London 47.06 42.98 
			
			 2003   
			 North West London 58.82 52.74 
			 North Central London 58.27 62.95 
			 North East London 61.41 49.10 
			 South East London 55.75 41.55 
			 South West London 48.02 45.67 
			
			 2004   
			 North West London 59.05 54.43 
			 North Central London 58.13 66.58 
			 North East London 62.74 56.33 
			 South East London 55.87 45.39 
			 South West London 48.35 50.71 
			
			 2005   
			 North West London 59.61 58.34 
			 North Central London 58.70 68.41 
			 North East London 63.68 60.35 
			 South East London 56.95 45.90 
			 South West London 49.15 55.53

NHS Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total funding provided for NHS dentistry has been in each year since 1997 in (a) real and (b) nominal terms.

Rosie Winterton: The principal element of dental services are primary care services provided mainly through the general dental service (GDS) supplemented, since 1998, by personal dental service (PDS) pilots. The GDS is currently managed on a national basis as a non-discretionary service. Expenditure is not pre-determined by funding allocations but is driven largely by the volume of NHS care provided to patients by dentists. Gross expenditure on GDS and PDS services, including the funding contribution from patient charges, is shown in the table.
	Data for 199798 and 199899 is based on cash data, whereas data for all subsequent years is based on resource data. Accounts data for 200405 is not yet available.
	
		Gross expenditure on GDS and PDSEngland --  million
		
			  At 200304 prices based on March 2005 gross domestic product deflator  Actual spend 
		
		
			 199798 1,564 1,348 
			 199899 1,627 1,442 
			 19992000 1,675 1,517 
			 200001 1,748 1,602 
			 200102 1,782 1,674 
			 200203 1,795 1,745 
			 200304 1,811 1,811 
		
	
	Source:
	Appropriation accounts 199798 and 199899.
	Audited accounts for the GDS.
	Audited summarisation forms of the health authorities 19992000 to 200102.
	Audited summarisation forms of the strategic health authorities 200203 and 200304.
	Audited summarisation schedules of primary care trusts 20002001 to 200304.
	Funding for secondary care and community dental services is determined locally by primary care and service trusts.

Departmental Staff

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered (a) nutritionists and (b) dieticians she employs within her Department.

Caroline Flint: The Department directly employs one nutritionist. However, the Department has regular contact with and seeks advice from dieticians and nutritionists from the British Dietetic Association, the Nutrition Society and other relevant professional organisations.

Doctors

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors have been (a) assessed and (b) entered on the specialist register by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board, broken down by region; and how many doctors have received additional training to satisfy the board's requirements for a particular register.

Liam Byrne: None. The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board does not take up its statutory responsibility for these functions until 30 September 2005.

Doctors

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors are employed in non-standard or trust grade posts in each NHS trust in England.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of doctors employed in non-standard or trust grade posts submitted by national health service trusts in the September 2004 NHS work force census has been placed in the Library.

Domiciliary Care

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which local authorities in England disregard housing costs and council tax when calculating charges for domiciliary care.

Liam Byrne: This information is not collected centrally.

Drug Rehabilitation

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drug rehabilitation places are available for residents of Hemel Hempstead constituency.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of drug rehabilitation places in Hemel Hempstead is not held centrally.

Efficiency Map

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at what cost the Department's Efficiency Map, published on 13 May, was produced; for how long she expects the document to remain in draft form for discussion; and what improvements in efficiency she expects to result from its publication.

Liam Byrne: The efficiency map was published by the Department of Health at the total cost of 4,861 and is part of the communications strategy for our programme to deliver 3.8 billion worth of efficiency gains by 200708.

Elder Abuse

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data on the (a) nature and (b) volume of elder abuse has been collected to date as part of the Modernisation of Adult Social Care Research Initiative.

Liam Byrne: As part of the modernisation of adult social care initiative, a three-year study has been commissioned from the University of Hull looking at partnerships and regulation in protection of adults. The aim of the study is to examine the operation of the range of regulatory frameworks relevant to adult protection for all service user groups including older people. It is focusing on the system designed to identify and respond to incidents of abuse and the links between adult protection and criminal justice initiatives.
	A mapping exercise will be conducted to identify models of partnership working between different agencies and the extent of different regulatory frameworks. The researchers will also be undertaking interviews with a range of stakeholders including service users and their advocates. The study will be completed in 2006.

Health Expenditure

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent per capita from central Government funds on health in (a) the East Riding of Yorkshire and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information is not collected centrally in the format requested.
	The following table shows expenditure per weighted head of population in England, and by the strategic health authority, which includes the East Riding of Yorkshire area, for 19992000 to 200304, which is the latest year for which audited figures are available.
	
		Expenditure per weighted head of population --  per head
		
			  North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire strategic health authority area   England 
		
		
			 19992000 752.94 763.79 
			 200001 801.96 825.38 
			 200102 869.38 926.13 
			 200203 943.10 991.07 
			 200304 1,074.31 1,116.32 
		
	
	Sources:
	1. Audited summarisation forms of the health authorities 19992000 to 200102.
	2. Audited summarisation forms of the strategic health authorities 200203 and 200304.
	3. Audited summarisation schedules of primary care trusts 200001 to 200304.
	4. Weighted population figures

Health Expenditure

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to centralise decision making on NHS capital expenditure away from strategic health authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: There are no plans to centralise decision making on national health service capital expenditure. Up to 200506 capital expenditure limits have been set by the Department for strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and NHS trusts primarily on a formula basis. From 200607, we will introduce a process where organisations put forward investment plans based on what they need and what is affordable. This should increase the extent to which capital expenditure reflects local circumstances. This policy is still being developed, and further details will be set out in the NHS financial strategy to be published in the autumn.

Health Expenditure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government have spent on improving technology in hospitals since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information is not held centrally.

Health Statistics (Coventry, South)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Coventry, South suffer from (a) dementia and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 June 2005
	The information is not collected centrally in the requested format. However, data on the numbers of residents in the Coventry city council area with a primary diagnosis of either dementia or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for 200304 are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Diagnosis Number of patients 
		
		
			 COPD (J40 to J44) 505 
			 Dementias (F00 to F03) 105 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data for 200304 have not yet been adjusted for shortfalls in data and unknown/invalid clinical dataare ungrossed.
	2. Patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier HESID. The identifier is derived based on the patient's date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier and national health service number, using an agreed algorithm. Where data are incomplete, HESID might erroneously link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient. Care is therefore needed, especially where duplicate records persist in the data.
	3. Diagnoses are made using the tenth revision of the international classification of diseases (ICD). J40-J44 and F00-F03 are the relevant diagnostic codes in the ICD-10 for COPD and dementias, respectively.
	4. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 diagnosis fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	Source:
	HES, NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Hemel Hempstead Hospital

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on plans for the transfer of staff employed at Hemel Hempstead hospital units;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on projected bed numbers for Hemel Hempstead Hospital;
	(3)  if she will make a statement on plans for property redevelopment at Hemel Hempstead Hospital;
	(4)  if she will make a statement on the entry-into-service date of the planned new accident and emergency unit at Watford.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally. The reconfiguration of services in Hertfordshire are part of the wider reconfiguration of services in both Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire know as Investing in Your Health. The strategic outline case for this major reconfiguration of services was approved in July 2004 by my right hon. Friend the then Member for Hamilton, North and Bellshill, now, Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid). The exact details regarding staff transfers, projected bed numbers, the entry into service of the planned new accident and emergency unit in Watford and any plans for property redevelopment at Hemel Hempstead Hospital will not be known in detail until the outline business case is completed, which is likely to be in January 2006.

Hemel Hempstead Hospital

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on plans to modify ambulance stationing patterns in relation to the transfer of Hemel Hempstead Hospital accident and emergency unit.

Rosie Winterton: There are currently no plans to modify ambulance stationing patterns in relation to the transfer of Hemel Hempstead accident and emergency unit. Hemel Hempstead Hospital will retain its A and E unit, as set out in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authorities' Investing in Your Health programme. The A and E unit will still be open, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The only change will be that it will no longer take major trauma cases.

HIV

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate how many people in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency are HIV positive.

Liam Byrne: The number of individuals with diagnosed HIV in 2003, the latest year for which data are available, were:
	England: 34,689
	North East Government Office region: 542
	Middlesbrough council and Redcar and Cleveland borough council (equivalent together to Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust and Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust): 64 1
	Estimates of undiagnosed HIV are only available at the national level. The number of adult individuals living with HIV in the United Kingdom in 2003, including those who are undiagnosed, has been estimated as 53,000. Of these, 14,300 of these (27 per cent.) were unaware of their infection.
	1 Data on individuals with diagnosed HIV infection resident in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Data is produced by country, Government Office region, strategic health authority, local authority and primary care trust, but not by parliamentary constituency.
	Source:
	Health Protection Agency

Hospital Hygiene

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there has been a change in hospital cleanliness rates since the clean-hands policy and the use of alcohol gel was implemented.

Jane Kennedy: While it is well established that poor hand hygiene practices contribute to the spread of some healthcare associated infections it is too early to determine the effects of the cleanyourhands campaign on infection rates and on cleanliness, as it was only launched in September 2004. Research to evaluate implementation of the campaign is under way.
	However, at this very early stage in implementation of the cleanyourhands campaign, figures show that the usage of alcohol-based hand rubs has increased steadily, with some trusts showing a marked increase of between 100 and 400 per cent. Further evidence from a repeat of previous observational audits on compliance, some two years following the pilot, show compliance in excess of 60 per cent.a sustained improvement from the average of 28 per cent. reported before the campaign.
	The national health service's hard work to improve infection control is shown by the 6 per cent. reduction in meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections for April to September 2004, compared with the same period in 2003.

Medical Practice Accommodation

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps are being taken to ensure that primary care trusts are able to give financial aid to all medical practices in need of approved accommodation;
	(2)  if she will take steps to ensure that primary care trusts give priority in funding new accommodation to those medical practices whose lease on their property is approaching its termination;
	(3)  what plans she has to increase the level of funding available to primary care trusts to find new properties for medical practices.

Liam Byrne: During the period 200304 to 200506, total funding to primary care trusts (PCTs) will have increased in cash terms by 12.7 billion or almost 31 per cent. Further substantial increases for PCTs will take the funding to 64 billion in 200607 and 70 billion in 200708. In addition, another 108 million was allocated in 200405 and 200506 specifically to fund improvements to primary care premises. Further funding of 83 million is to be made available in each year between 200506 and 200708 for premises growth. The proposed White Paper will consider the provision of accommodation as part of its review of services outside hospitals following a process of wide public consultation.
	It is the responsibility of PCTs to plan, develop and improve services to meet the needs of local people and to decide how available funding should be prioritised.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the proposed job savings from the Mental Health Act Commission are under her plans for merger with the Healthcare Commission;
	(2)  what the (a) status and (b) structure of the Mental Health Act Commission will be in the Healthcare Commission.

Rosie Winterton: The powers to integrate the functions of the Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC) with the Healthcare Commission are contained within the draft Mental Health Bill. The Government are currently considering the Joint Committee on the draft Mental Health Bill's recommendations and will publish a response shortly.
	In respect of recommendations pertaining to MHAC, the Government's consideration will take into account the implications of the plans to merge 11 public service inspectorates into four. The new inspectorates will cover justice and community safety, adult social care and health, children's services, education and skills and local services.

Mental Health

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will respond to the report of the Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is currently considering the recommendations of the report of the Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill and a response will be published shortly.

National Society for Epilepsy

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sums the Department has allocated to the National Society for Epilepsy in each of the last 10 years; and what the reasons for the payments were in each case.

Liam Byrne: The Secretary of State has powers under Section 64 of the Health and Public Services Act 1968 to make grants to voluntary organisations in England whose activities support the Department's policy priorities. Funding allocated to the National Society for Epilepsy through the Section 64 General Scheme of Grants over the last 10 years is shown in the table.
	
		Section 64 grants: National Society for Epilepsy -- 
		
			 Type of grant/project name 199697 199798 199899 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Section 64 project: Epilepsy information network90,000 90,000 
			 Section 64 project: living well programme37,400  
			 Section 64 project: computer-aided learning for neurologists  10,000 10,000   
			 Section 64 project 7,292 12,500 5,208   
			 Section 64 project 23,000 17,000
		
	
	Note:
	Full details of the grants beginning in 199697 are not available.

Neonatal Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the nurse to patient ratio is at each neonatal unit in hospital trusts at (a) special care level, (b) high dependency care level and (c) intensive care level;
	(2)  how many neonatal units currently comply with British Association of Perinatal Medicine recommended minimum nursing requirements.

Liam Byrne: Information on the ratio of nurses to infants within units is not collected centrally, and it is for the units themselves to decide their own nursing requirements. The ratio is not constant, but relative to the dependency levels of the infants. This varies according to demand both within and between units providing a range of special, high dependency and intensive care.

NHS Direct

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of user satisfaction with NHS Direct is.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 June 2005
	I understand from the Chairman of the NHS Direct Special Health Authority that patient satisfaction survey data for March 2005 indicated that 98 per cent. were very satisfied or satisfied with the services provided by NHS Direct.

Nurses

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has carried out to assess the level of risk of back and joint problems in the nursing profession in comparison with that in the general population.

Liam Byrne: The Department has not carried out an assessment of the level of risk of back and joint problems within any national health service staff group in comparison with that in the general population.
	The Health and Safety Executive have stated that one third of reported injuries that result in three or more days off work are caused by manual handling accidents, and that manual handling accidents and back pain account for approximately 40 per cent. of all NHS sickness absence.

Older People

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all local authorities in England are using the single assessment process for assessing older people's needs, as outlined in the National Service Framework for Older People.

Liam Byrne: This information is not collected centrally. The responsibility for introducing a single assessment process rests with local health and social care service planners, commissioners and providers. However, available evidence suggests that most, if not all, local authorities' social services departments have a single assessment process in place.

PCTs (Resource Allocations)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the forward population projections for (a) each strategic health authority and (b) each local authority in England were used to inform the resource allocations of primary care trusts for 200607 and 200708; and if she will estimate the current population of each (i) primary care trust and (ii) strategic health authority area.

Liam Byrne: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Phthalates

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the potential health impacts arising from the presence of phthalates in consumer goods.

Caroline Flint: Phthalates are a family of chemical substances, with a range of properties. Extensive research into the effects of certain phthalates on human health has been carried out at a European level, under the auspices of the European Union's Existing Substances Regulation (793/93/EC). Details of this programme can be found on the European Chemicals Bureau website at: http://ecb.jrc.it/existing-chemicals/ The United Kingdom has commented on the detailed risk assessments and ensuing risk reduction strategy for the various phthalates that have been studied.
	The Government take the view that phthalates must be considered on a case-by-case basis. Where the EU database is insufficient to complete a risk assessment, it is normally expected that the industry will carry out the required additional research. The detailed EU risk assessments have indicated that some phthalate compounds have been shown in animal studies to produce toxic effects on the reproductive system. Therefore, the Government have asked its expert committee, the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment, to keep the area of environmental chemicals and reproductive health under review and will consider its advice on the need for additional research in this area.

Pressure Sores

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what targets she has set for the reduction of numbers of pressure sores in hospitals;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of (a) the cost to the NHS of treating pressure sores and (b) the number of patients with pressure sores in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 June 2005
	Reducing the incidence of pressure sores in hospitals is tackled locally through clinical governance; a programme of continuous improvement in clinical care. The toolkit, Essence of Carepatient focused benchmarks for clinical governance, includes a chapter specific to pressure ulcers.
	This is underpinned by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines that also focus on screening and assessment, informing patients and their carers, the development and implementation of an individualised plan for prevention and treatment to be agreed and delivered by a multidisciplinary team working with patients and their carers.
	It is not possible to separately identify the costsin hospitals and all other settings where the national health service cares for patientsof treating pressure sores.
	The number of patients who were diagnosed, in NHS hospitals, with pressure sore in the years between 200102 and 200304 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 200102 15,292 
			 200203 17,178 
			 200304 18.087 
		
	
	These are NHS hospital in-patients episodes with the specified diagnosis code, not the number of persons diagnosed. It is not possible to identify from these data whether a pressure sore was acquired while the patient was in hospital, or whether it was acquired elsewhere and subsequently diagnosed in a hospital.

Psoriasis/Psoriatic Arthritis

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the proportion of the population that suffers from psoriasis.

Liam Byrne: We have made no estimate of the proportion of the population with psoriasis. However, the Psoriasis Association estimate that around 2 per cent. of the United Kingdom population suffer from this condition.

Psoriasis/Psoriatic Arthritis

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to improve the delivery of treatment services to those suffering from psoriatic arthritis.

Liam Byrne: It is our intention to publish best practice guidance on musculoskeletal conditions, which includes psoriatic arthritis, later this year. In addition, the Government have already published the national service framework for people with long-term conditions.

Psoriasis/Psoriatic Arthritis

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what priority is given to psoriatic arthritis in allotting health service resources.

Liam Byrne: Responsibility for allocating national health service resources rests with primary care trusts, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other key stakeholders, as they are best placed to understand and respond to the needs of their local populations.

Royal Berkshire Hospital

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make funding available for the employment of a specialist allergy consultant at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Caroline Flint: It is for local primary care trusts to take decisions on funding arrangements for the commissioning of services, including specialist allergy services, to meet the needs of their populations.

Sexual Health

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect that the change in funding for genito-urinary medicine by the West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust will have on sexual health provision in St. Albans.

Rosie Winterton: It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure services, including sexual health, are provided which meet the needs of their local populations. I understand that West Hertfordshire Hospital National Heath Service Trust is undertaking a review of sexual health services, but that no final decision has yet been made.

Sexual Health

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) gonorrhoea, (b) syphilis, (c) Chlamydia and (d) thrush have been diagnosed in the East Riding of Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Reports of selected sexually transmitted diseases by sex. East Yorkshire primary care trust (PCT): 199903(20)
		
			 Condition descriptioncondition code Sex 1999 2000 2001(21) 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Primary and secondary infectious syphilisA1A2 Male 5 5 n/a 5 5 
			  Female 5 5 n/a 5 5 
			 Uncomplicated gonorrhoeaB1B2 Male 5 5 n/a 11 5 
			  Female 5 5 n/a 7 5 
			 Uncomplicated Chlamydia infectionC4AC4C Male 14 15 n/a 49 49 
			  Female 21 15 n/a 49 54 
			 Anogenital candidosisC7A Male 5 5 n/a 5 5 
			  Female 19 32 n/a 37 29 
		
	
	(20) Source KC60 returns.
	(21) Data for 2001 incomplete.
	Notes:
	1.  = less than or equal to.
	2. The data refers to the number of diagnoses made at genitor-urinary medicine services within the PCT.

Sickness Absence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate of sickness absence in the NHS for (a) medical staff, (b) non-medical clinical staff and (c) all other staff was in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The Department does not collect information on sickness absence rates in the national health service broken down by staff groups as requested. Information on rates of sickness absence for all staff groups is shown in the table.
	
		Sickness absence rates in the NHS in England
		
			  Percentage rate 
		
		
			 2000 4.7 
			 2001 4.8 
			 2002 4.6 
			 2003 4.7 
			 2004 4.6

Smoking

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her estimate is of the total number of deaths from smoking-related illnesses in people who are not smokers for the most recent period for which figures are available; and what proportion of these deaths she estimates were of people who worked in heavily smoke-filled environments.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 15 June 2005, Official Report, columns 51718W.

Smoking

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated expenditure by (a) regional tobacco policy managers and (b) their regional offices is in 200506.

Caroline Flint: In 200506, 2 million has been allocated to the regional public health groups' budgets to support work on tobacco control. This information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Region Amount (000) 
		
		
			 North East 170 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 214 
			 North West 260 
			 West Midlands 219 
			 East Midlands 192 
			 Eastern 212 
			 South East 258 
			 South West 206 
			 London 270 
			 Total 2,000 
		
	
	Regional tobacco policy managers are integrated into the Government office for the regions to which they are appointed. Information on individual expenditure is not held centrally.

Specialists

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accredited specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation there have been in each of the last 20 years; how many such specialists there were per 100,000 of the population in each of those years; and what evidence she has evaluated on proportions per 100,000 of population in (a) other EU countries and (b) other G7 countries.

Liam Byrne: The table shows information on the headcount of hospital and community health services (HCHS) medical staff in rehabilitation medicine per 100,000 population in each year since 1990, the first year for which figures are available. The latest population data available are for 2003.
	Between 1996 and 2004, the number of HCHS medical staff working in rehabilitation medicine has increased from 130 to 226 and the number of consultants has doubled to 118 in this period.
	International comparisons are not collected for rehabilitation medicine.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Medical staff within the rehabilitation medicine specialty, showing number per 100,000 populationEngland at 30 September each year -- Number (headcount) and number per 100,000 population
		
			  HCHS medical staff HCHS medical staff per 100,000 population of which: Consultant Consultants per 100,000 population Associate specialist/staff grade Associate specialist/staff grade per 100,000 
		
		
			 1990 23 0.05 11 0.01 (22) (22) 
			 1991 45 0.09 31 0.02 1 0.00 
			 1992 64 0.13 36 0.02 7 0.01 
			 1993 74 0.15 34 0.03 10 0.02 
			 1994 107 0.22 51 0.04 12 0.02 
			 1995 118 0.24 53 0.05 13 0.03 
			 1996 130 0.27 59 0.05 18 0.04 
			 1997 146 0.30 70 0.06 17 0.03 
			 1998 178 0.36 70 0.07 21 0.04 
			 1999 184 0.38 74 0.09 23 0.05 
			 2000 197 0.40 76 0.09 24 0.05 
			 2001 216 0.44 84 0.08 30 0.06 
			 2002 237 0.48 110 0.10 31 0.06 
			 2003 243 0.49 116 0.10 28 0.06 
			 2004 226 n/a 118 n/a 28 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  Registrar group Registrar group per 100,000 population Senior house officer Senior house officer per 100,000 
		
		
			 1990 6 0.02 3 0.01 
			 1991 8 0.07 (22) (22) 
			 1992 10 0.08 4 0.01 
			 1993 14 0.07 4 0.01 
			 1994 20 0.11 8 0.02 
			 1995 24 0.11 3 0.01 
			 1996 26 0.12 6 0.01 
			 1997 31 0.14 6 0.01 
			 1998 35 0.14 19 0.04 
			 1999 43 0.15 11 0.02 
			 2000 43 0.15 10 0.02 
			 2001 41 0.17 15 0.03 
			 2002 52 0.22 12 0.02 
			 2003 48 0.23 19 0.04 
			 2004 40 n/a 16 n/a 
		
	
	n/adenotes not available. Population data for 2004 are not yet available.
	(22) Denotes zero
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre medical and dental workforce census.

Stroke Care

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals care for people who have suffered a stroke, but have yet to open a specialist stroke unit; and what the planned date is of the opening of each such unit which is to be provided at those hospitals.

Liam Byrne: The latest information collected by the Department suggests that four national health service trusts do not currently have specialised stroke services in place. All other trusts now do.
	Of the four outstanding, three say they will be compliant by the end of July. The Department continues to have discussions with the strategic health authorities for all four trusts to ensure that they are compliant as soon as possible.

Student Midwives

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to issue policy guidance following the ruling in the case of Fletcher v. NHS Pension Agency and the Secretary of State for Health to the NHS Pensions Agency on the subject of payment of bursaries to student midwives during maternity leave.

Liam Byrne: We are currently considering the outcome of the employment appeal tribunal. We are committed to operating national health service bursaries in ways that are fair and support students across the range of domestic circumstances, in which they might find themselves.

Telecommunications Masts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research her Department has examined on the effect of mobile phone masts on brain waves; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There has been very little work regarding the effects of the radiofrequency signals from mobile phone base stations on the electrical activity of the brain as these exposures are very small; usually many thousands of times below human exposure guideline values. Research in this area has therefore focused on the effects of exposure from the fields associated with mobile phone handsets. Exposure measurements around base stations are available on the websites of the Health Protection Agency at www.hpa.org.uk/radiation and Ofcom at www.ofcom.org.uk
	The research on health effects from radiofrequency electromagnetic fields was comprehensively reviewed by the independent advisory group on non-ionising radiation in 2003. The review concluded that:
	Exposure levels from living near to mobile phone base stations are extremely low and the overall evidence indicates that they are unlikely to pose a risk to health.
	Nevertheless, in view of the recommended precautionary approach to the use of these technologies, the mobile telecommunications and health research programme in the United Kingdom, funded jointly by the Government and the mobile phone industry, is supporting a study examining if signals from handsets may affect brain wave activity in volunteers under rigorous experimental conditions. The results of the study are expected to be published in due course.

Trauma Centre Status

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services hospitals must be able to provide in order to obtain trauma centre status.

Liam Byrne: There is no nationally set definition of a 'trauma centre' in England. It is for local providers of health care services, in conjunction with their commissioners and clinicians, to determine the most appropriate range and size of those supporting services needed to support seriously injured or wounded patients.

Travel Inoculations

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to review charges for necessary travel inoculations.

Liam Byrne: Government policy for travel vaccination charges was reviewed during negotiations for the new General Medical Service contract, introduced in April 2004. There are no further plans to review the present arrangements.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the impact of the Working Time Directive on West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the Article III-278 (7) of the EU Constitution on EU regulations on Working Time in Hospitals, with particular reference to West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust.

Rosie Winterton: Implementation of the Working Time Directive is a local national health service matter. The vast majority of trusts achieved compliance across all specialties by 1 August 2004, although a small number of trusts experienced teething problems in a limited number of specialties.
	If the proposed constitution were adopted and came into force, regulations made under the current treaty would remain valid and the United Kingdom would need to implement them, unless the regulations were amended in the meantime.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to answer the letter to him dated 15 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Mr. Chris Siddiqi.

Charles Clarke: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 27 April 2005.